Ghost Monk
by Zemia
Summary: Eiri never listened to his dad. This time was no different. This time... he should have. Born with a hereditary 'rare gift' of being able to see ghosts and spirits starting on his 24th birthday, guess who's the first one he sees? Rate M, I love my smut.
1. Why Birthdays Should Be Banned

Disclaimer: Nobody in the Gravitation universe belongs to me. I claim no kinship whatsoever and sing Maki Murakami's praises. The only thing I'm getting out of writing these is sick sadistic pleasure out of making the character's lives even more difficult. ,

**Ghost Monk**

By Zemia

Chapter 1 – Why Birthdays Should Be Banned

"Throughout the ages, monks have protected the spiritual ways of life, performed rites of death, and protected the populations' ancestors from desecration and disrespect. Another task, one less known and far more specialized, is the exorcism of ghosts and evil entities. Not every monk can do it, for they need to be sensitive enough to the spiritual energies around them in order for them to see, let alone fight them. They also need to train, to build up their psychic and chi energies in order to battle…."

Pausing in his monotone, the monk's eyebrow twitched as he glared at his son. Said son was wiggling a finger in his ear, staring up at the ceiling and looking thoroughly bored out of his mind. "EIRI ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME!?" he shouted.

A quick shake of his head, a trailing of fingers through the golden locks his father despised. "No. Not really. Can't say that I am."

"How do you expect to ever become a proper monk if you don't learn the ancient history of…" the elder Uesugi protested, before his tirade was rudely cut off.

Eiri barked out, "Look, old man. I've told you countless times before to drop the dream and die. It's you who aren't listening to me. The only thing I'm going to be doing is waiting for you to die, so Tatsuha can take over the dump. That way, I can bribe him with booze and women and HE will leave me alone about it." Shaking his head, he knew it was time to return to Tokyo. He'd had all he could stand about familial honor.

Mr. Uesugi pointed his finger towards his son, cursing him, "One of these days, boy, there will be divine retribution for your fuckups and disrespect. I hope I'm around to see it!"

Not even he knew just how true these words were to come to pass.

_Remember when you asked me to be with you always?_

_You smiled at me so cutely then. _

_You were adorable, I couldn't resist you. _

_Nobody could._

_I just went and took it too far._

The clock ticked, now reading 12:00. Chilled lips leaned down and brushed against Eiri's ear. The novelist groaned and turned over, groping for Shuichi. If it was the brat, he would find himself kissing floor. There was no one there, the other side of the bed was cold. Blearily staring at it for a moment, Eiri then remembered that Shuichi was at some sleepover or something.

He hadn't quite been paying attention at the time, as the only thing that mattered out of that entire conversation was that he'd have some time alone. Though it had irked him slightly to know that Shuichi had seemed to forget it was his birthday today. The brat practically had an Eiri Yuki shrine, and couldn't be here for his fucking birthday?!

Turning towards the clock this time, he frowned, unable to see the digits. Moving sideways, they came into view. Moving back again, they disappeared. He raised his eyes upwards, and wished to all the Kamis that he hadn't. Yuki Kitazawa stood there, leaning against the nightstand, staring at him with those eyes that always seemed to bore into his heart, his soul. "Happy birthday, Eiri."

Golden eyes widening immediately, Eiri cringed back against the headboard, willing this to be one of his other nightmares. Please let him wake up! Please! He could feel the childish fear rising with the bile in his throat. Things he usually hid behind the bastard's exterior. As Kitazawa leaned closer, whispering, "Did you think I would forget your birthday?" Eiri did the only thing he could. He screamed.

TBC


	2. Why Do Ghosts of the Past… Never Stay

Disclaimer: Nobody in the Gravitation universe belongs to me. I claim no kinship whatsoever and sing Maki Murakami's praises. The only thing I'm getting out of writing these is sick sadistic pleasure out of making the character's lives even more difficult. ,

**Ghost Monk**

By Zemia

Chapter 2 – Why Do Ghosts of the Past….. Never Stay There!?

The alarm beeped, just before it was thrown against the far wall. One last half-mangled squawk later, and the poor thing had beeped its last. Next to the clock's spot sat an empty bottle, the label reading 180 Proof Scotch Whiskey. Only several tufts of tangled golden locks could be seen as Eiri turned over, intent on going back to sleep.

"Now, that wasn't very nice of you, Eiri. I thought you had better manners than that."

Honey-colored eyes snapped open from their cocoon under the soft pillow_. It couldn't be… No, it'd been just a dream. A really fucked up, too-much-deadline-stress related dream._ One he was still having.

"I know you're awake, Eiri. I can tell by the way your body moves as you breathe. So you might as well get up." Kitazawa wagged a spectral finger, using a quote he'd given Eiri seven or eight years ago. "Procrastination is the devil's weakness."

_I've finally cracked._ Eiri slowly raised his head from under the pillow. Kitazawa was sitting on the other side of his bed, back leaning against the headboard. The pupils of his eyes narrowed to pinpricks as he began to whimper.

"Oh, now don't start THAT again. Didn't we do that last night?" Kitazawa leaned closer, causing Eiri to scoot back so far that he fell off the bed. Eyebrows arching, he remarked, "Well, it seems you should work on your landings from it, rather than who's IN it… shouldn't you?"

"How are you here!? You're dead! I killed you! I killed…." Tears began to sparkle in Yuki's eyes. "Please, just leave me alone. Haven't you done enough to me?" His voice had cracked, and he felt dizzy, lightheaded.

"You _did_ kill me. I am dead." With a quiet chuckle, and a crinkling of the golden brown eyes, Kitazawa replied, "Surprised the hell out of me last night when you actually saw me this time."

"T-This time?" Yuki's eye was beginning to develop a tick.

A quiet smile emerged, full of love, twisted though it might've been. "Eiri, you didn't think I'd have left you all alone, did you?"

"The idea had passed my mind. Frequently. Yes." Eiri grumbled. Kami, he's been _haunting_ me?!

"Oh yes, Eiri. I've been with you, through everything you've gone through since I've died." Kita paused, tilting his head in remembrance. "I must admit, I'm a bit disappointed in you for some of the women you've chosen over the years. Though I do admit a fondness for your little pink-haired one. He reminds me of you when we were together. On the other hand, your body has become a spectacular package of…"

"STOP IT!" shouted Eiri. He really didn't want to remember what Kitazawa thought about his body, or know what he thought about the women. That was it, that had done it. Eiri pulled himself off of the floor and, barely leaving time to grab his essentials (cigs, keys, wallet and phone), he tugged his overcoat on over the pajamas and all but bolted for the car.

When he got there, Kitazawa was already sitting in the passenger side of the car, waiting for Yuki. Leaning his arm along the edge of the open door, the golden eyes flashed towards a clear yellow. A bad sign. "Get the fuck out of my car!"

Kitazawa shrugged, unfazed by Yuki's anger. "Sorry, but I can't do that."

"Why the fuck not!? You got your ghostly, imaginary, spectral, plasmatic fucked up ass in there, you can get the fuck out! NOW!"

"Truly sorry to disappoint you. But I can't." Kitazawa continued to smile at Yuki, which pissed off the novelist even more, reducing him to two word answers.

"WHY NOT!?"

The answer, honestly and brutally spoken, echoed through Yuki's soul. Whether or not Yuki wanted it so, whether or not Kitazawa wanted it so, the answer was, "Because you are mine. Forever."

"FUCK THAT! GET OUT!"

"Sorry."

Eiri's eye was twitching. He was also beginning to be aware of the fact that people were watching him yell at the top of his lungs to an empty car. Slamming the door shut, he turned and stomped off towards the train station. If he couldn't drive, he was going to sleep his way to Kyoto, trying to drown out his nightmares.

With the quiet smile still in place, Kitazawa floated just above, and to the left of, the soul he was forever bound to.

TBC


	3. Training to Kyoto

Disclaimer: Nobody in the Gravitation universe belongs to me. I claim no kinship whatsoever and sing Maki Murakami's praises. The only thing I'm getting out of writing these is sick sadistic pleasure out of making the character's lives even more difficult. ,

**Ghost Monk**

By Zemia

Chapter Three – Training to Kyoto

By the time Eiri reached the station, he was more than annoyed. He was almost ready to toss himself in front of a train. The only problem was, someone beat him to it. Standing at the very edge of the platform, a young girl of about seventeen peered out over the tracks. To Eiri, that was nothing new, people did that all the time to check on the arrival of a train. The next action, however, was a bit more unique. As the train reached the platform, she jumped down onto the tracks, ignored by everyone else.

Despite better judgment, Eiri found himself at the spot the girl had been moments before, staring down at the point he knew she'd have to land. No body, no blood. Taking a deep breath, he slowly turned and started for the ticket booth, telling himself that he wasn't going crazy. It had _almost_ worked. Then Kitazawa opened his mouth again.

"Tragic, isn't it? Killing yourself over some guy…" Kitazawa murmured, glancing sidelong at Eiri. He knew the barb would hit home.

The novelist narrowed his eyes, turning away from the scene, his voice pitched in a low growl, "Yeah. Tragic. If that's why she killed herself, she was too moronic to stay in the gene pool anyway."

"Oh, I don't know." Kitazawa drawled, his quiet smile back in place. "Seems to me like she has a _few_ traits in common with someone familiar, wouldn't you say?"

Eiri was getting meaner by the moment, wanting to punch someone, something. Anything. "No. I'd say, 'Fuck off, get an afterlife.' actually."

Laughing without taking real offense, Kitazawa followed Eiri to the booth, where the young man bought a round trip ticket to Kyoto. He was well aware that Eiri hoped this fucking nightmare would be over soon. "You know, sulking never was becoming on you." he murmured, 'standing' beside Eiri as the novelist stoically ignored him, waiting for the train. "Honestly, I think I preferred you cursing at me."

"I already told you to 'fuck off'," Eiri bit out, his voice pitched as low as it could go.

Another quiet smile in place, the ghost leaned closer, cocking his head towards the blond. "What was that? I couldn't quite hear you."

"Get some ears, it might help." Eiri mumbled again.

"Didn't we review this in Diction? I believe we did. Never mumble, always articulate!" Kitazawa chided wagging his finger at him. Refusing to be baited into shouting in public, Eiri focused upon one spot on the wall, staring at it blankly. That didn't stop his ex-mentor though. "Anger management, too. That might help this horrible habit you've picked up since you killed me."

Placing the heel of his hand against the bridge of his nose, Eiri counted to ten. Then he counted to twenty.

He'd reached four hundred and sixty-seven by the time the next train had arrived. Stepping onto it quickly, Eiri found himself a seat that sported a double bench. Though he'd never liked feeling crowded, he hoped others would fill it up so that the ghost wouldn't have any place to sit. Knowing Kitazawa though, the damned man would just sit on someone's lap to stay nearby.

To add to his string of bad luck, nobody sat near him, and so, he was stuck ignoring Kitazawa as the ghost sat next to him. A moment later he muttered, "Why do you have to sit next to me, though!? Can't you sit on the bench at least!?"

With a thoroughly amused expression, Kitazawa replied, "I could. In fact, that's a good idea. Then I'd be able to gaze at you for the entire trip without having to strain my neck."

"You don't _have_ a neck!" Eiri visibly twitched, then crossed his arms. "Never mind. Don't move!"

A quiet chuckle answered him. "As you wish, Eiri." Goading this new Eiri, now that the younger man could see and hear him, was quickly becoming a favored pastime.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Eiri opened them again, only to wish he hadn't. Sitting across from him sat a woman he swore would fit right at home in the Museum of Natural History. In the display case. She was a wizened, ancient crone, who was practically beaming at him, and embroidering something he couldn't make out.

_What…. The…. FUCK?!_

Taking note of his expression and, mistaking it for interest, or at least ignoring the horrified terror, she began chattering at him. "I'll tell you, this is the best train they'd built. It's so nice and cozy…"

Eiri must have blinked. He didn't remember blinking, but he must've, because she kept _talking_. "I was riding it and fell asleep. When I woke up, they'd already declared me dead of a heart attack." She paused again to lean closer, peering at Eiri, who's eye began to twitch once more. "Are you alright? You don't look so good."

The young novelist absolutely refused to answer. If he gave these things an inch, they'd plague him for eternity. Kitazawa still sitting next to him was proof. He'd talked to HIM and where'd it get him? A permanent tagalong. Since Eiri was being rude and obnoxious, Kitazawa smiled warmly to the woman as he placed his hand on the upper part of Eiri's thigh, patting it gently. "He's a bit motion sick. Trains always do this to him, you see."

"Ooh. See, that's why you always carry some mint with you. It helps with the upset stomach." The crone glanced down at Kitazawa's hand. "Are you two…."

Kitazawa nodded immediately, answering quite seriously, "Lovers. We also had a… long night. He… gets a little testy." He flinched as he felt the aura radiating from Eiri. He knew he'd get it for that one, but he just hadn't been able to help himself.

Eiri stared at a spot on the ceiling on the train car, desperately trying to remember the Chant for Exorcism. _Please, please. Whatever I did to piss you off, I'll cha—ok who am I kidding? But I'm sorry. JUST TURN IT OFF!!!_

He couldn't even ask for someone to kill him. Then he would be stuck with these guys forever! It was going to be a long train ride. To distract himself, he began to imagine all of the things he would do to ..er… with… Shuichi when he got home. _In bed. In the shower. Back to bed. Maybe the couch. Absolutely not the kitchen counter, they'd already learned their lesson with that one…_

_Fuck, birthdays SUCKED!_

TBC


	4. Home Again, Home Again … Jiggity Fin J

Disclaimer: Nobody in the Gravitation universe belongs to me. I claim no kinship whatsoever and sing Maki Murakami's praises. The only thing I'm getting out of writing these is sick sadistic pleasure out of making the character's lives even more difficult. ,

**Ghost Monk**

By Zemia

Chapter Four - Home Again, Home Again …. Jiggity F-in Jig

_Why the hell did I think coming HERE would be a good idea!?_ Eiri stared at his father, almost unblinking, as the man continued his tirade for the third hour in a row. He should've pummeled Tatsuha when he had the chance for squealing to their father that he was back. _Gotta admit, the old bastard has some damn good breath control. I don't think I've seen him inhale in the past half hour…that and Kitazawa's stuck outside the fucking place. That could be a plus. Whoever the fuck my great-great-great-fucking-uncle is, I like the hold he has on that sword._

"I told you countless times that you had to train for this. I'd even tried my hardest to give you a clue the last time you were here, Eiri. But you had to go and fuck it up. If you aren't ready for this, then that's nobody's damned fault but your own! Who was it that told me to 'drop the dream and die'!? So that you could bribe your brother to run this dump for me?! Who's the one who keeps running away from not your familial duties, but your fucking birthright!? With someone as sensitive as you are, you'd think at some point you would've gotten a fucking clue!"

"Look pops, I don't need the sanctimonious bullshit right now." Eiri finally managed to cut in once Uesugi-san needed to breathe. "Just tell me how to turn it the fuck off!"

Uesugi-san meanwhile, had decided that laughing his ass off at his son's predicament was a more viable option. Since it was clear that he wasn't about to get listened to, not that he ever _had_, he waved towards the family shrine. "Nothing I say will help you. You never listened to me, you never will, stubborn bastard that you are. Why don't you go pray to your ancestors and mull things over?"

"If you hadn't made it impossible for me not to hate you, or myself, it might not have been so big of an issue. If I had known you were going to keep me there that long, I would've worn shittier clothes." Eiri retorted before he stood, dusting off his pants from kneeling on the floor so long. At the suggestion to go pray to the ancestors, his eye twitched again, and he looked almost green. "Because suddenly, pops, talking to my ancestors takes on a WHOLE new meaning…."

Seeing that he was going to get no more help from his father, Eiri slowly made his way into his family's temple, sitting there with one knee propped up so he could rest his elbow on it. Booted out by the clan, Kitazawa hovered by the temple gates, smirking as he watched his ex-pupil trudging towards the shrine. Eiri had to come out sometime. He couldn't stand the place for more than three days even before he could see and hear everyone.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is." One of the older Uesugi members drawled, watching Eiri getting comfortable. "The prodigal son. _Now_ you believe, eh, asshole?"

Another one shushed him, as he settled happily on his shrine stone. "It wasn't his fault he was chased off. It IS his fault for not bothering to try and come back though. So you can only give him half the blame."

"I do! That's why I fuck with his father's booze and cigarettes."

Laughter erupted immediately throughout the shrine, at the thought of the living Uesugi stalking through the house looking for where he'd put them this time. One of them perked up and glanced over from where he was playing Go with another one. "You too!? I thought it odd that they were moved from where I'd had them last."

"Ugh, and you see some of the women HE brings in? Dogs all of them. I make sure they leave right quick." Finally catching some interest in Eiri, he tapped his walking stick across his stone. "That little pink-haired one was cute. Much better than the sluts I've seen him trolling with." He pointed it at Eiri. "Should bring her around more often, give us a thrill."

"You should talk. I've seen some of the women YOU'VE brought home."

The second player of the Go game, glanced over, finally adding his two cents to the conversation. "The pink-haired one's a guy. Honestly…"

"How'd you know?!" came the flood of chorus from the rest of them.

Having finally lost his patience with his ancestors' chattering, Eiri stared up at them all. Were they … having TEA!? **"HEY!"** he called, trying to get their attention.

"He showed off his crotch to the old man that time he pretended to be Eiri's bride, remember?" Then he shrugged his spectral shoulders. "And I spent some time in Tatsuha's room. He has a …. What is it? TB?"

"TV, dumbass. TB is one of those illnesses.."

A lewd smirk answered his companion. It was clear that some things _were_ hereditary. "Oh right. Don't care. That little squirt's hot. Hell, if I still had a dick, I'D fuck his brains out too…"

"That's just lovely, swipe your great-great-grandson's fucktoy.. Like your reputation's not in the shitter as it is."

"**HEY!" **Eiri called again, not being used to the one on the receiving end of being ignored. _He_ did the ignoring, dammit!

"Damn I miss the booze…"

"I could do without having had to see Tatsuha wanking off to that video with the Grasping guy, though. It made me feel like an incestuous pedophiliac voyeur." Then he thought it over a bit more, tapping his finger to his chin. "Though that Grasping guy was sort of hot… reminded me of that pink-haired one.. I love the clothes they wear nowadays…"

"No one asked you to stay there for the entire thing! It's not someone duct taped a spirit ward to your ass to keep you there!"

Inhaling slowly, Eiri's patience had finally snapped. They'd sit there and happily talk about him, but not to him, while he was sitting right there waiting to talk to them?! Fuck that shit.** "HEY DEAD PEOPLE!! HOW DO I TURN THIS OFF?!"**

As one, they all turned to look at Eiri. At the expressions on their faces, he wasn't so sure he should've gotten all of their attentions at the same time.

_Great, yet another thing to have inherited from these bastards._

After another hour or so, mouth set into a firm line, Eiri returned from his time within the shrine. Without bothering to sit down, he slowly gathered the objects he'd left behind when he'd gone in there. His father was leaning his elbow against the table, sipping the tea Tatsuha had prepared. "Well, did you learn anything?"

"Yes." Eiri said tersely, pocketing his keys and cigarettes. At least they hadn't fucked with them yet.

Not getting anything more, Uesugi-san frowned at his son. "And?"

"And I'm NEVER having children. I'm also disowning the lot of you. Mika, Tatsuha and I are fucked up enough as it is."

"What!? How…. But… you went in there to PRAY!"

"Who the hell could pray with all of them BITCHING at me the entire time!?" Eiri picked up his coat, and shrugged it on. "We come from a LONG line of drunken, whore-mongering perverted monks, pops. _Someone_ has to break the cycle. I'd exorcise them, but their one redeeming factor is the fact that they fuck with your cigarettes and booze."

Uesugi-san half-rose from his position on the floor, throwing down his napkin. "How dare you insinuate that…"

The young novelist tossed a smirk towards his father. "Never can keep a woman to stay around for very long, can you?" Leaving a spluttering father to choke on the rest of his tea, Eiri walked out into the Shrine's main courtyard, muttering to himself and trying to remember that long, boring monotone. "Spirit… sensitive.. psychic.. chi…." His eye twitched, just once. _Why the fuck does it sound like I've wandered into one of Shuichi's fucking anime series?!_

Tatsuha was waiting for him, leaning against one of the pillars that held up the balcony overhang at the entryway. "So… that's it? You're leaving already? Not even going to stay a bit, seeing as it's your birthday and all?"

"No. I'll just hang out here for a few minutes, away from them. I don't feel ready yet to go back to Kitazawa. And don't remind me about my birthday."

"Ki…. Kita…"

"Eh, don't worry about that bastard." Eiri lit a cigarette, offering one to Tatsuha, who took it warily. "Our great-great-great-fucking-uncle or whatever is keeping an eye on him. I think I like him already. I'm half-tempted to egg them on, just so I can watch him use that sword."

"S-s-sword!?"

With an evil chuckle, Eiri closed his eyes, leaned his head back and blew the smoke up into the air.

TBC


	5. Oh Where Oh Where has My Yuki Gone?

Disclaimer: Nobody in the Gravitation universe belongs to me. I claim no kinship whatsoever and sing Maki Murakami's praises. The only thing I'm getting out of writing these is sick sadistic pleasure out of making the character's lives even more difficult. ,

**Ghost Monk**

By Zemia

Chapter 5 – Oh Where Oh Where has My Yuki Gone?

Shuichi opened the door to their latest house, having long ago given up on trying to talk Eiri out of moving every few months. He was holding a large bag behind him. Peeking in, he checked to make sure Yuki wasn't around before padding into the kitchen. He had everything ready to celebrate his lover's birthday. _Strawberry shortcake, check. Candles, check. Wine, check._

He'd even dressed up for the occasion, having to go out and by a new casual suit, but that was ok! It was for his Yuki! "Yuki!" he called, starting with his study. Yuki was always in his study. The pink hair slowly inched its way through the doorway. "Yuuukiii!" he called, peering into the darkened room. Yuki wasn't in his study.

Starting to panic, Shuichi then race through the rest of the rooms, verifying what he already knew. Back where he started, he stood in the kitchen and started pouting. Then he started fuming. Two years of living with Eiri had calmed a bit of his hyper tendancies. Well. A bit. Right now, the violet eyes were blazing with fury. _That bastard! I plan a special date for him for his birthday and he's not even home!!!_

He went back outside where Hiro was waiting, just in case Eiri didn't take it well and tossed Shuichi out on his ass. Again. It had happened last year for the man's birthday, when it had happened to land on D-Day. Their 'affectionate' term for Deadline Day. "Goddammit he's not even here! He said he was going to be here all damned day!"

Blowing a puff of smoke, Hiro didn't bother to move from his position of leaning on his bike. "Now. Did he say he would be there, or did he just grunt at you while you chattered at him?"

"Well…. Ok so he grunted. But Yuki doesn't ever leave near deadline! He .." Shuichi paused long enough in his tirade to think things over. He did that every now and again. It saved his ass. "Maybe he's at the park."

"Let's go then." Hiro suggested, handing Shuichi a motorcycle helmet. They never drove anywhere without them, ever since that near-accident had scared the shit out of them. "We'll do a drive-through, the bike's faster than he can run."

"Wait, I gotta put the food away first at least." Shuichi kept the helmet and raced into the house, quickly tucking everything away before jamming the helmet on his head. Making sure the door was locked, he vaulted over the railing and landed down into the courtyard below. "Alright, let's rock!"

With a chuckle at his best friend's impatience, Hiro peeled out of the driveway and headed for the park.

Twenty minutes later, they had circled the park twice before realizing that Eiri wasn't there either. Shuichi was getting more and more upset and Hiro thought they'd have to check him for rabies the way he was beginning to foam at the mouth. At least figuratively. "Okay, so he's not home or at the park." He turned to look at his friend and had to rush over, "Whoa, hey wait!!"

Shuichi grabbed a nearby stick and seemed to be brandishing it like a sword. "That's fucking fine! I don't care anymore! I try to do something nice and he always spits it back at me! You wanna fuck with me Eiri Yuki, you'll see just how far your pushing has gone!!" He appeared to be going to try and commit seppuku with it, holding it to his stomach.

"Dumbass, gimme the stick. That's not even sharp enough to go through your stomach!" Hiro grabbed at the stick, ignoring Shuichi wailing and kicking at him in the best of five-year-old tantrums he was famous for. The only one that could ever rival it were Ryuichi Sakuma's tantrums. "Try calling him then! He brings his cellphone with him, doesn't he?"

Shuichi paused, but then mumbled into Hiro's shirt, "He has caller ID. Half the time, he doesn't pick it up cause he knows it's me and doesn't want to be bothered."

"Fine then. I'll call him." Hiro pulled out his cellphone and dialed Eiri's cellphone, holding it out of Shuichi's reach when his pink-haired friend began grabbing for it, protesting that it wasn't a good idea and babbling other inane nonsense.

_Out of all the times he'd barked at Shuichi to leave him the fuck alone, and the bubble-gum-headed twit had to pick THIS time to actually follow his instructions for once?!_ Lost in his inner bitching, Eiri didn't even open his eyes when his phone began ringing. Tatsuha eyed Eiri, waiting to see what he'd do. When it didn't appear his older brother was moving, he nodded to the phone. "Aren't you going to answer that?"

"It's probably just Shuichi, wanting to ramble for hours about whatever the fuck he's doing that I could give two shits about." Eiri replied tonelessly, finally opening his eyes to glance at his brother. "If you're so interested, YOU answer it." he muttered, handing the still-ringing phone over.

"Yeah, my brother, the anti-social bastard coward." Tatsuha muttered, flipping the phone open and seeing who it was first. "You're wrong by the way. It ain't Shu-chan. It's Hiro." He put the phone to his ear and pressed 'talk'. "Yeah, hello?"

"Hey, uh.. Tatsuha, right? I won't even ask why you're answering…Listen, is Yuki with you?" Hiro asked, blunt and to the point.

Tatsuha paused, tossing his brother a questioning glance before answering slowly, "Yeeaaahh…. Why?"

"Great. Now I can get the dumbass to calm down." Hiro paused as sounds of a scuffle were heard, as voices filtered through the speaker, "gimme the phone!" "hell no, you were too chickenshit to call..it's my phone!" "I want the phone Hiro! Hiiiirrrooo…." "Fuck off, Shu…" "YYYuuuuuukkiiiiii where are yoooouuu?!??!" The sounds quieted down as Hiro managed to breathe, apparently having ditched Shu for the moment. "So where are you guys?"

Unable to keep the laughter out of his voice, having always been amused by the antics of Bad Luck's crew, Tatsuha leaned against the pole and answered, "Shrine."

"Who the hell is that?" Eiri demanded, now reaching for his phone as well. "Gimme that phone, Tatsuha."

"No no, Aniki. I think this will be a hell of a lot of fun." Tatsuha laughed even harder, as Hiro muttered into his ear that they'd be there in a few hours and hung up. Handing the phone over, he rested his arms behind his head, staring upwards at the Shrine's roof. "I think the party's just getting started, Aniki. Better break out all the beer you can find."

"What'd you do, Tatsuha?" Eiri growled, staring at the phone and trying to figure out why that number looked familiar.

"If you can't bring the Mountain to Mohammed…." Tatsuha winked at Eiri and sauntered into the house. "Get your rest. You're gonna need it. By the way, I find it hilarious as all fucking hell that the one who's desperate not to have anything to do with the shrine inherited the abilities to go with it, while I, the one who it's being dumped on, didn't get anything." Flipping him a casual wave, the younger Uesugi brother disappeared inside.

"You didn't hit twenty-four yet! And you keep pissing me off, you might not make nineteen!" Eiri barked to his brother's retreating back before muttering yet again, "Make the mountain fall on fucking Mohammed's ass….. Birthdays suck…" He glanced towards the entrance to the Shrine, where the sword-uncle was swinging it in practice strokes close to where Kitazawa hovered. The latter ghost took it in stride and ignored him for a moment to look over at Eiri. Then he smiled that shit-eating grin, before returning his attention to the spectral Uesugi.

Running his hands through his bangs, Eiri took out another cigarette and lit it, inhaling deeply. "Where'd he say those beers went?" he muttered to himself, making a beeline for the booze.

TBC


	6. And the Wheels Keep Turning

Disclaimer: Nobody in the Gravitation universe belongs to me. I claim no kinship whatsoever and sing Maki Murakami's praises. The only thing I'm getting out of writing these is sick sadistic pleasure out of making the character's lives even more difficult. ,

**Ghost Monk**

By Zemia

Author's Note: This story actually came about one day because I was sitting there going, "Hmm.. they keep emphasizing Yuki Eiri being overly sensitive, a fact he hides behind his uber-bitchy exterior. And he comes from a family of monks… " I wrote these stories for me, and my friends, some of which RP gravitation with me. I've never really shared any of them for strangers to read, being so self-conscious and possessive of them.

But I figured, hey, they're fanfics, not like I have any rights to the characters, not like they're any of my original stories, which won't be posted of course, and it's not like I can do anything else with them, right? So I decided to share them with you all! I'm glad you like this one so far, I DO plan on working on Night Must Fall as well! Maybe when my house gets settled a bit more.

Zemia

Chapter 6 – And the Wheels Keep Turning

Three hours later, there was a sickening thud which sounded as if it had come from outside the gates to Uesugi Shrine. Hiro's voice could be heard, chastising a pink-haired roadkill that had leapt off of his bike before he'd even slowed down. Mandated to go only forty miles per hour near holy soil, it was still pretty damned fast to do a flying tackle leap from. Pealing his friend off of the road, he dusted him off, muttering, "Honestly, Shu. You've waited three hours, you can wait another few minutes for me to stop the damned bike."  
."But Yuki's in there! You know he never comes here unless he's hurt or damaged or upset or someone's finally died or something!" Shuichi protested, trying to shake off his friend's well-meaning ministrations. "YUUUUUUUKKKKIIIIIII!!!!!" he shouted, loud enough to shake the rice paper on several of the walls.

Inside, an amber eye twitched. A dark mirror of his brother, Tatsuha lifted the beer to his lips and drank slowly, before raising his forefinger from the can to point towards the gate. "Looks like the mountain has arrived."

"Dammit, Tatsuha, why the fuck did you have to bring him here. Like I didn't have enough fucking problems as it was without dealing with the Drama Queen of Tokyo too." Eiri groused, not bothering to get up from his seat. His one saving grace was that neither Mika, nor Tohma, had shown up for his birthday yet.

Outside, the wails continued, "YYUUUUKKKKKKIIIIII!!!!! Answer me dammit, Tatsuha told Hiro you were here! C'mon Yuki, let me in! You know I'm not allowed to step foot inside the Shrine until you do!" Shuichi continued to shout at the top of his lungs, ignoring Hiro's pained expression. "I'll come in, so help me, then you'll be sorry when Mika kills me!"

Listening to Shuichi's bitching, the youngest Uesugi couldn't help but chuckle. "Suits me fine. I'm sure you're used to his screaming by now.. if you can drown it out, I can." Tatsuha shrugged, a malicious gleam entering his eyes, spotting another opportunity to get under Eiri's already angsty skin. "But… now that I think about it… Shuichi does act a lot like you used to, from the stories I keep hearing."

"I'm assuming you have a point. You've got three seconds to make it."

Looking for all the world like a cat playing near the koi pond, Tatsuha managed to ask with thorough innocence, "Weren't you mentioning a few hours ago, that Kitazawa's ghost was hanging around the main gates?"

Less than three seconds later, the only thing remaining in Eiri's seat were four empty beer cans as Tatsuha's chuckle followed his brother out the door.

The closer Eiri got to the gates of the Shrine, the slower his steps became. He knew Tatsuha had followed him outside, having been unable to resist the temptation of watching the upcoming skirmish. He could give two flying fucks how his brother got his jollies off. His attention at the moment was focused on the three, yes count them, three figures lingering at the Shrine's entrance.

Hiro was, as usual, leaning against his bike and smoking a cigarette, content to be the resident bystander along with Tatsuha. Shuichi, however, was straining with the inner war between rushing in to glomp his runaway lover and the death threat that was all too real hanging over his head. His eyes were brimming with tears as he cried, "Yuki! C'mon Yuki! Lemme in!"

Despite the waterworks, or because he was more than used to them by this point, it was easy for Eiri to ignore Shuichi's theatrics in favor of glaring at the third figure hanging above Shuichi's head. Kitazawa was, currently, running his hands along the bared skin of Shuichi's biceps, from shoulder to elbow and back again, causing the young man to shiver with the chill, asking in a small, child-like voice, "Y…Yuki…. Um…. Hiro, is it me, or has Yuki finally managed to get his death glare to drop the temperature by a couple dozen degrees?"

TBC


	7. If Wishes Were Swords, Ghosts Would Die

Disclaimer: Nobody in the Gravitation universe belongs to me. I claim no kinship whatsoever and sing Maki Murakami's praises. The only thing I'm getting out of writing these is sick sadistic pleasure out of making the character's lives even more difficult. ,

**Ghost Monk**

By Zemia

AN: Finally, the ending of the scene that had started in chapter 6. I probably should've written this before I wrote the scene after this.. ern. Oh well. Rubs hands. Got some evil ideas. Yuki thoroughly hates my guts.. I just have to figure out how I'm going to make it work. Mwahahah. Wow, I haven't written this much in a year! Ghost Monk was written late last year and had only had up until chapter 3 I think. So 4-7 are thoroughly new, written since I created my account. Lol. Um, pardon if there's a spelling mistake.. spell check doesn't always do such a great job of being my Beta. The last couple of chapters probably had some cause I was so excited trying to post them. I actually went and read through this first and paid attention. Zemia

Chapter 7 – If Wishes Were Swords, Ghosts Would Die

With the expression on Eiri's face, Kitazawa knew that he was pushing the young man close to his limit of being able to handle the situation. But he had a perverse desire to see how far he could go. So he gave Eiri that lopsided smile, the one that had always managed to get his ex-student to melt, and stroked his hand down the strawberry-colored hair. "You must admit, after all those years of womanizing and vehemently declaring yourself straight, you going and falling for another male seems a bit … odd, no? Out of all of those lovers, only two true loves… both male. And both right here."

Leaning his head down, he rested his cheek on the crown of Shuichi's head, while the teen began to shiver even more, though he couldn't say why. The ghost continued, "He's such a cute boy... you've chosen well. He reminds me of you…. when you were young, innocent and cute, less of a bastard..."

_What I wouldn't give to have that great-uncle's sword right about now. _Instead of melting, the taunting only fueled Eiri's fury, causing something like a growl deep in his throat. His eye twitched once, just before they turned the cold, golden color that had many termed him a murderous animal. Nothing more than a killer.

Shuichi's own eyes widened as he glanced side to side, then eeped when he realized there was nobody else that he could be talking to. Hiro was still by his bike, and the novelist was definitely not looking in his direction. That meant ... _Ohmygod, Yuki's after me!! But, but … Yuki couldn't be THAT mad that I came to see him for his birthday, could he?_ Sure, he'd chased the novelist down, but still…

"Um.. Yuki.. you know... it really isn't so bad... we can... Um..." Shuichi backed up a step, holding his hands out in front of him, crying, "WAAAH YUUUKKIIII DON'T KILL ME!"

For Tatsuha's part, he was still leaning against the fence, all the while amused at the interaction between all of them. Though he couldn't see Kitazawa, he could feel something around Shuichi, which probably meant that Eiri was right and he'd get whatever it was that his older brother had 'inherited'. Well, having grown up around it, he'd probably not take it quite so badly.

Seeing that all was normal for the lovers, Hiro stubbed the cigarette out on the ground in front of him, inspiring the ire of the sword-wielding ancestor of Eiri's, though he couldn't see it. Waving to them both, he called out, "Ja!" and took off towards Tokyo, knowing Shuichi's 'precious Yuki' would drive him home. Because of that, he missed the best part of the show.

"Get away from him you poisonous, lecherous pedophiliac r---rrrrrrr!" Eiri growled, before grinding to a halt as he stared at the spectral ghost that was still roaming his hands over Shuichi's body. He had his own hands clenched loosely at his sides, ready to do some major damage if provoked an iota more. Never mind that he couldn't really physically harm a ghost. This was Yuki Eiri, he could probably find a way, he always did. "And keep your fucking hands to yourself!!"

Tatsuha's eyebrows rose, and he finally stepped forward to stand next to his brother, glancing at Shuichi again, trying to get a feel for what was going on. "Yo, Aniki … is he doing what I ….."

Shuichi, meanwhile, had paused in his wailing to stare at Eiri in confusion, unable to comprehend what the hell was up with his lover this time. _Pedophile? Lecherous? Hands... where... what the hell was going on!?_

"Now really Eiri…. That's not what you called me when you ….." Kitazawa began, though he was cut off when Shuichi reached forward to touch Eiri's forehead, asking, "Um... Yuki... are you ... feeling okay?"

"I'm fucking perfect." Eiri growled, using Shuichi reaching for him to his advantage. Snagging the wrist, he all but dragged his vocalist to the other side of the gates, effectively cutting him off from anymore unwanted Kitazawa contact. Spending just enough time to toss an angry side-long glance his way, he growled to his lover, "Stay on THIS side of the line, you got that, damned brat?"

"Y…y-yes. I g-got it Y-Yuki.." Shuichi stammered, bowing his head meekly as he wiped the last of the drying tears off of his cheeks, glancing over at Tatsuha, silently asking what was going on.

The younger Uesugi shrugged, then clapped a hand on Shuichi's shoulder, before smiling warmly at him. "C'mon. Let's go watch a Nittle Grasper Video."

"Um… but … Yuki …" Shuichi started asking, glancing up at his lover who had gone back to yelling at an empty spot in front of the gates. "Tatsuha, why is he yelling at nobody?"

"He's got um, a lot of pent up hostility at the moment. Best just to leave him be and get it over with." Tatsuha warned, managing to convince Shuichi to follow him into the house, away from Eiri who could hurt someone with the level of anger he was quickly reaching. "Yeah. It's better for right now."

Before they got out of earshot, Eiri paused in his tirade at Kitazawa to cast a glare towards his brother's back. "And you keep your hands to yourself too, Tatsuha! No more fucking around and trying to pretend that he's Sakuma!"

"Haiiiii, Aniki. Whatever you say!" Tatsuha called cheerily, making Eiri worry even more for Shuichi's safety. As Eiri's eye began to tick once more, Kitazawa laughed, leaning on the gate, and murmured to his ex-student as a parting shot, "If wishes were horses, beggars would ride…"

Glaring once more at Kitazawa, Eiri turned to make sure Tatsuha behaved and kept his hands to himself. He tossed a last parting shot of his own back at the specter just before he went inside, "If wishes were swords, ghosts would die…"

"Ah… but you see, love… you only get to kill a person once…" Kitazawa murmured, before watching the swordsman uncle returning. "Hmm. Methinks it's time for a new plan."

TBC


	8. Didn’t We Go Through This Before?

Disclaimer: Nobody in the Gravitation universe belongs to me. I claim no kinship whatsoever and sing Maki Murakami's praises. The only thing I'm getting out of writing these is sick sadistic pleasure out of making the character's lives even more difficult. ,

GhostMonk

By: Zemia

**Chapter 8 – Didn't We Go Through This Before?**

About the same time that Shuichi arrived at Uesugi Shrine, Tohma was standing in front of Eiri's door with a gift box in his hands. Fumbling for the spare set of Eiri's keys, which he always managed to get his hands on, he finally unlocked his wayward novelist's door and stepped inside. He was smiling that shit-eating grin he always had when he thought he was going to manage to surprise his brother-in-law. However, this time he only had about fifteen minutes or so before Mika showed up, so he had to make the alone-time he had with Eiri really count.

"Oooooh Eiri!!!" he chirped, pausing to listen for any tapping of keys, or any other sign of habitation. When the silence greeted him, the president of N-G's brow crinkled into a cute little frown. Stepping into the kitchen area, he put the cake box down on the counter and glanced around, murmuring, "No typing, no obnoxious whining from that little bastard who stole my Eiri …er.. um.. my best-selling vocalist, right, right…"

Within quick order, he'd trekked through the entirety of the house, finally realizing that neither Eiri, nor Shuichi were home And he'd spent nearly five precious minutes of his alone-time to figure it out. _That bastard! I plan a special day for him for his birthday and he's not even home!!!_

Quickly sliding into petulance, Tohma pulled the bottle of champagne from his pocket and set it down on the counter next to the cake, then peeked into Eiri's fridge, where he paused, thoroughly confused. It was full of birthday supplies, which meant that Shuichi must've been home at some point. By the way the supplies were shoved in, it appeared that the vocalist had been in a hurry. Which meant…… Eiri hadn't been home for Shuichi either. The damned novelist had at least four hours head-start!

Pulling his phone out, he scrolled down his saved phone numbers which, thankfully, weren't many, until he found his wife's number. The name Mika-san flashed on his screen and he pushed the dial button.

Ten minutes later, Mika had joined her husband in the novelist's empty living room, her arms crossed and a steely look in her eyes. "The last time Eiri disappeared…."

"L-let's not jump to conclusions, maybe we should check the park. He has a deadline soon, after all." Tohma replied, holding his hands up in a placating gesture, giving her that gently polite smile. It didn't fool her, but at least she accepted it. "Maybe he went to the Shrine. Granted, it's a very unlikely event…"

"Hell would've frozen over first. Or dad had to die. Wait…" Mika paused at that thought then pulled her own cell phone out, dialing the number to the Shrine. She was only mildly worried as to whether or not her brother had taken initiative and gone to kill the bastard himself. One never took chances or second-guessed the first-born son of anything.

It took four rings to gain Tatsuha's attention away from the Nittle Grasper video, as well as Shuichi prodding him that the phone was ringing. Laughing, he rubbed the back of his hair, "Oh, right. I should answer that." Checking the caller ID, Tatsuha held a finger to his lips, muttering, 'Mika' before he answered the phone, "Yo. Uesugi Shrine. Your grief is our pleasure…"

Shuichi's color drained immediately, and he kept as still as he possibly could. Tatsuha made a shooing motion, meaning he should beat it before he inadvertently made some noise to give him away. _Poor Tatsuha_, Shuichi thought as he nodded, sneaking out of the room and listening to the screaming from the phone behind him. "What the fuck kind of greeting is that, you little shithead!?" Mika immediately began yelling at her youngest sibling. "Do it properly!"

"Calm down Onesan, I knew it was you. You put in this caller ID, remember? What do you want?" Tatsuha asked, wiggling a finger in his other ear out of boredom.

Mika, however, was far from amused at Tatsuha's half-assed attempts at humor. As usual, she was brunt, and to the point. "Where's Eiri!?"

"Fuck if I know. I'm not his keeper, Onesan, I thought that was _your_ job." Tatsuha countered, buying his brother some time, as he thought about hanging up on her.

"Cut the shit, Tatsuha, is he, or is he not, there?" Mika growled, ignoring Tohma, who was doing some weird drama shit with himself. Probably dreaming of his lost alone-time with his precious Eiri. "You've got two seconds to tell me yes or no."

Tatsuha, though, was in no mood to placate Mika's PMS-bitch mode she had going. When it came to Eiri, she was more protective than a pitbull. Something she never was with him. He could disappear for days and she wouldn't even send a S.W.A.T. team. "Well, you'll just have to come here and find out. Now if you'll excuse me, I was watching something and I'd like to get back to it."

"Kami, not another Nittle Grasper video." Mika asked, sighing with exasperation. Though, honestly, if he was watching those all the time, then he couldn't get into as much trouble as if he'd had nothing at all to occupy his time.

"As a matter of fact, yes it is. So I'll see you later, Onesan. I'll tell pops you're coming. Ja." Tatsuha then hung up on her, a habit he'd acquired from hanging around Eiri too long.

That point was not lost on Mika, who pressed her lips together and shoved the phone back into her bag. Tohma raised his eyebrows and gathered the supplies, already starting for the car so they could trek to the Shrine. "It doesn't happen to be the one where the three of us are practically naked, is it?"

"Probably. Though, trust me, his eyes aren't on you." Mika managed to chuckle, following her husband out the door, making sure it was locked behind them.

"Kami help us, I hope not." Tohma thought over that suggestion for a moment before shuddering. "I should've thought of a restraining order a long time ago." Placing the gifts in the back seat, the Grasper's keyboardist went to climb into the driver's side, when he was yanked back by Mika, whose eyes had turned as cold as her brother's.

"I'm driving. If you drove, we'd never get there." Without another word, she climbed into the driver's seat with every intention of leaving him behind if he wasn't in the car in the next minute.

Trotting around to the other side, Tohma seated himself and made sure his seat belt was properly fastened. Giving her husband a thoroughly irate glare, Mika tore off down the road, swerving around cars until she hit the highway that would lead them to her ancestral home. Taking a deep, calming breath, all Tohma ventured to say about her reckless driving was, "On the other hand, we may not need to bother with the restraining order."

TBC 


	9. Veranda Sunsets

**NAME**

by: Zemia

Disclaimer: Nobody in the Gravitation universe belongs to me. I claim no kinship whatsoever and sing Maki Murakami's praises. The only thing I'm getting out of writing these is sick sadistic pleasure out of making the character's lives even more difficult.

**Chapter 9 – Veranda Sunsets **

Chased out of watching the video, Shuichi finally found Eiri sitting on the veranda overlooking the Shrine's pond, where he was staring at the setting sun with a posture of thorough sulkiness. Used to having his lover pretending to ignore his existence, the singer merely sat next to him, trying to figure a way to get him out of his latest snit. "Yuki…." he began, getting no response. That wasn't unusual. But Shuichi had learned over the two years that it meant either that Eiri was waiting to hear something of importance, or thoroughly zoned out.

"Yuki, why did you come here without ….?" _Without what? Leaving a note, calling me to let me know?_ He knew better by this point. Instead, he changed his sentence. "All of the stuff to celebrate your birthday's at home."

"I had noticed that you'd dressed up. Before we continue this conversation, how many did you take this morning?" Eiri muttered, taking a drag of his cigarette, the pack firmly in his other hand, which he was damned well keeping with him at ALL times! Damned ghosts.

"H-How many…? How many what!?" Shuichi asked, pausing in the never-ending stream-of-consciousness thought process his brain usually adhered to, at mach two. He glanced warily at Eiri again, noticing how firm a grip the novelist had on the cigarette pack. What had made him so unnerved as to come to the Shrine!? Not only that, but be NI…. Well… 'Sorta Nice Yuki Eiri.'

"Your 'Stupid' pills. Obviously you took some, because you're here, instead of at home." Eiri explained as if speaking to a four year old. At least if he'd been home, Shuichi wouldn't have to be subjected to Kitazawa.

So much for 'sorta nice Eiri'. Shuichi blew out a puff of exasperated air. "Yuki……"

Nipping whatever protest Shuichi was about to make in the bud, knowing he'd lose another ten minutes of his life if he didn't, Eiri asked, "Thought about celebrating my birthday huh?" Leaning down, he stubbed the butt out on the ground, the sunset splashing the blonde locks with crimson and orange, then picked it up to throw it out properly later. (Boy had he heard the bitching for THAT one the last time he'd gone to leave it there.) With a sigh, he glanced sidelong at Shuichi, motioning with a lazy hand, two fingers crooked as if to point at him but not quite. "Go on."

_Yuki picked up a cigarette butt!?_ Shuichi stared at Eiri, his violet orbs as unnerved as they had ever gotten. He was also out of sorts due to this almost-kind side to his lover. Though he knew it was always there, submerged underneath the bastard, and had noticed it was coming out more often as he himself started calming down on a daily basis, it still freaked him out. "Go on, what?"

"Wish me a happy birthday and get it over with, dumbass. I know you want to." Eiri groused, feeling his irritation rising again. "You're not ALWAYS a fucking retard."

"Thanks so fucking much, you ba---.." Shuichi immediately began to retort, before the singer caught sight of Eiri's eyes. The writer's golden gaze shimmered with that deep amber color that signaled, even if he were scowling, the love and teasing he felt for his little lover, even if he still sucked at showing it. Taking a deep breath, he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Eiri's waist, his head against his shoulder. In a quiet voice, he murmured, "Happy Birthday, Yuki."

For a long moment, Eiri let Shuichi hug him, even went so far as to reach up and stroke at his hair. But, something about it didn't feel right. His memory flashed back to Kitazawa leaning over his bed that morning, murmuring, 'Happy birthday, Eiri.' _Fuck, it had only been twelve hours ago!?_ Shaking it clear, he frowned down at the mop of pink hair and murmured back, "No."

Snuggling closer, Shuichi arched into his lover's touch, content not to try and break Eiri's mood. "No?"

Reaching down, Eiri took Shuichi's chin in his hand, pulling it up until their gazes locked. Shuichi's eyes widened at the expression within the golden eyes, there'd only been a handful of times where it had revealed something vulnerable and … wanting. Eiri's mouth moved, and it took Shuichi a moment to realize what he was saying, his voice was pitched so low.

"Say it." Eiri stared down into the violet eyes of his lover, determined to override that which haunted him. "Say it right. Say it properly."

Finally catching on to what Eiri wanted, Shuichi's eyes shifted from confused stupidity, his natural state of being according to the writer, to a play of loving and comforting emotions. Reaching up, he placed the tips of his fingers against Eiri's cheeks, smiling with all of the warmth in his heart as he whispered, "Happy Birthday, Eiri."

The faint vulnerability blossomed into love for his noisy little brat before he dropped his gaze with a faint smile, hiding the fact that it had been there at all, though Shuichi wouldn't be fooled. As he'd said, the vocalist wasn't a fucking retard ALL the time. Eiri brought their lips together and claimed that which was his, what had always been his. Without breaking the kisses that he demanded out of his more than willing partner, he wrapped his arms tighter around Shuichi, and pulled to a standing position. Carefully shifting so that he wouldn't trip or drop Shuichi, he stepped into his room, closing the sliding door behind them as he headed for the futon, intent on making good on the promise to himself to enjoy something on his birthday.

--------------SCENE PREVIOUSLY OMMITTED------------------

Lips moistening a trail of skin along the pink-haired man's throat, Eiri enjoyed the little sighs and sounds he caused. Every one emitted from Shuichi produced a flutter through the novelist's chest, though he would, could, only show his lover through random tiny actions rather than showy pronouncements or loudly verbalized as the singer seemed to favor.

Eiri's open palm slid down Shuichi's chest, making him squirm and wrap his arms around his shoulders. Knowing what Eiri was up to, Shuichi arched his hips against the hand that met them halfway, feeling the fingers stroke against the crotch of his pants and moaning softly. "Yuki…."

At Shuichi's soft plea, Eiri's hips moved as well, pressing hard against his little vocalist's, rubbing himself deliciously against him, causing another soft cry and calling of his name. "Y-yuki!", Shuichi gasped, lifting his legs up to wrap around Eiri's waist, his fingers digging into the fabric of the evil monk's shoulder. Damned evil monks, damn how good they were at pleasure.

With every squirm, with every cry, Eiri's actions grew more teasing, more feral, more of take instead of give, yet the giving would be in the taking. Snagging the lube he'd moved into reach when he'd entered the room hours before, he managed to force Shuichi's legs down so that he could get the singer's pants off. Only half-listening to the mewls of protest, the golden eyes trailed across the body of his lover, enjoying the flushed pink kitten underneath him. "Shut up, pest, I have to get the pants off to get anywhere."

That was all the encouragement Shuichi needed. Lowering his legs, he got his pants off in under thirty seconds, smiling up at Eiri with a mixture of love and wanton abandon. It was a look that had caused many squealing fangirls to clean out Bad Luck cds off the shelves the first day. Currently, it caused Eiri to pause and stare at him for a moment, before resuming his task. _Fuck, that WAS hot._

He was more than aware that many were in love with Shuichi's voice and body, and he would defend his territory fiercely. He was vicious in his determination that the person who caused said body to squirm with pleasure, that caused that lover's voice to cry out a name would be him. Only him. Even if he did toss his ass out near deadline time.

With the obstructions out of the way, Eiri warmed up some lube and pressed his finger against Shuichi, before entering his lover. With a moan, Shuichi's back arched and his head angled back, exposing himself further for Eiri. Releasing a clawed hand from Eiri's shoulder, Shuichi maneuvered it to trail down Eiri's body, seeking the button that would release him from the confines of his pants.

Finding what he was looking for, he made quick work of the clasp and zipper, slipping his hand inside. Giggling at the strangled noise he'd managed to produce, enjoying the reactions of a second finger being introduced as Eiri lost patience with another soft moan, he leaned up and flicked his tongue against the rim of Eiri's ear before suckling on it.

The reaction was instant. Eiri's length fully hardened in Shuichi's hand as bolts of pleasure shot through him. Shuddering, he clasped one hand to the offended ear, growling out, "SHU!"

Shuichi could only giggle even more. In another few moments, however, he'd stopped giggling as Eiri's heated kisses distracted him from all else but pleasure, and pleasing his love.

--------------END SCENE ------------------

Nearly an hour later, while the lovers were still celebrating in their own fashion, the phone rang again, blaring incessantly to be answered. Tatsuha finally shuffled over to the phone and checked the ID again, rolling his eyes and settling himself in preparation for the tirade. Unless he hung up on her again, this would take awhile. Flashing an evil grin, he leaned his head back and picked up the phone, reciting, "Yo. Uesugi Shrine. Your loss is our gain…"

"GODFUCKINGDAMMIT TATSUHA WHAT'D I SAY ABOUT THAT THE FIRST TIME!?" Mika blasted into the phone, causing Tohma to whip his head around to stare at her as if she were going to begin foaming at the mouth at any moment. _Why the hell did Tatsuha have to antagonize the woman?_ Maybe he could bribe the kid into not harassing her quite so much, then he'd get some peace and tranqui…. Well at least he'd get less headaches.

Mika took a deep breath, swerving around a truck that hadn't bothered to fully clear the lane she'd moved into and nearly scraping a door off, which of course happened to be Tohma's side. He gave her a dirty, calculating look, intent on getting even with her when he was out of striking radius. Coming on a straight road, she tapped her fingernails along the steering wheel for a moment before growling out, "Put. Eiri. On the phone. Right. Now. Before I string your balls up for a new rear-view mirror ornament."

Finally wincing, Tatsuha squirmed and told himself he knew Mika was only joking. He hoped. "I can't."

"Why the fuck not?"

"He's um… indisposed at the moment." Tatsuha replied amiably enough, glancing towards his brother's room, where it must've been getting to the good parts. _If the sounds coming from there are any indication, he sure is indisposed. Who knew Shuichi could hit that note? _Shaking his head to clear out the images, he returned to the conversation. "By the way, I assume you were in or around his house? Did you bring his medication?"

Wrong thing to say, apparently, as the screeching began immediately. "He didn't bring his pills?! He needs those pills!" The eldest female Uesugi began swearing hard enough that Tohma was surprised the car's paint job remained intact.

Tatsuha ran his fingers through his bangs, half-closing his eyes with a sigh. "You don't gotta tell me! He's going insane. Just bring them!" Not to mention the fact that their father was finding everything so hilariously funny. They'd get to that bridge when they crossed it.

"No, I didn't bring his pills." Mika finally put two and two together, growling out, "Shindou's there isn't he!? I'm going to kill that fucking little punk this time!"

"Look, Onesan. He's actually managed to calm Aniki down… Let's not fuck with what works, ne?" Tatsuha advised, shivering at another lust-filled moan from Shuichi. Okay, time to vacate to cold bath. "Look, I gotta go. We'll talk when you get here. Ja." The last thing he heard before he hung up on her was, 'you'd better believe we will'.

Shaking his head, he trotted off towards the furo before he barged in on the couple, demanding to be let in on the fun. Pausing, the dark-haired teen slowed his steps, less enthused as before. Eiri had told him about the voyeuristic ghosts while they'd been waiting for Shuichi to show up. He could barely wait to hear what running commentary they had to be making this time. Imagining Eiri's expression as he pointed out the fact, he was positively cheery as he stepped into the bathing room.

TBC


	10. PreEmptive Planning

**NAME**

by: Zemia

Disclaimer: Nobody in the Gravitation universe belongs to me. I claim no kinship whatsoever and sing Maki Murakami's praises. The only thing I'm getting out of writing these is sick sadistic pleasure out of making the character's lives even more difficult.

A/N: Ok, it's a short chapter time. 1) Because it's been awhile and I figured I should put up something (it's been a LONG and depressing month, I'm lucky I didn't get full Writer's Block) and 2) it's a nice little exposition chapter in it's own right before the Chaos at Uesugi Shrine shows up.

**Chapter 10 – Pre-Emptive Planning**

Half an hour later, leaving Shuichi dozing on his futon, Eiri stepped into the furo area, though he paused as he spotted his brother already in the tub. The teen's eyes were closed and he was singing along with his headphones, but the elder Uesugi had already dealt with ribbing from several of the resident ancestors and was hesitant to suffer more.

The damned ghosts had complimented him on his 'performance' and thanked him for giving them a 'grand old show', which had caused his mood to sour. He'd told them to fuck off, cursing them out loudly as he stomped around naked, belatedly placing spirit-wards all around his room, slapping them along walls, doorways and windows.

The novelist wasn't sure he wanted any more comments from his younger brother and turned to go, intent on waiting his turn, but Tatsuha opened his eyes, calling, "Hey Aniki. Finally wore him out, huh? His stamina's improved over the years." Tatsuha remarked, before he patted the tub's rim invitingly.

"I don't even want to know why you know that." With a shrug, Eiri ditched his clothes and washed himself quickly before sinking into the tub as well, sighing and leaning his head back. "I forgot to put wards up in my room."

Laughing immediately, Tatsuha sat up and turned his discman off, leaning an arm on the tub's edge. "So how many were in audience tonight?"

"Just three, but I think they're telling the others so that they're prepared next time." Eiri ran his fingers through his hair, the water darkening it go a dark gold color. "One of them wants to fuck Shu himself. I have to be careful of that one."

"They can only possess you if you're weak. You, if anyone, are far from it and, despite not having practiced any of the monk's duties of late, are as much of one as I am. You'll be fine." Tatsuha reassured his brother, shifting so that his leg brushed up against Eiri's, though it was unintentional. Glancing upwards, he began a new topic, "Speaking of possession…."

"Hnn?" Eiri asked, moving his leg away from Tatsuha's so that he wasn't taking up most of the room. "What?"

Deciding to just get it over with, the teenaged monk took a deep breath and spat it out. "Mika's on her way, I'd say you had another half hour or so before she gets here."

"Shit. Here I am, fresh out of Mika-wards." Eiri immediately quipped, his lips curved upwards as he spoke with humor laden in his voice. It caused Tatsuha to begin laughing again, who was happy that his brother still retained some of his sense of humor, before asking, "Gonna warn your little 'Shu-chan'?"

Eiri had to debate with himself over saving his kitten's ass versus the amusement value of Mika ripping him a new one. With a sigh, he climbed out of the tub, wrapping a robe around himself and glancing over his shoulder at his little brother. "Might as well. He'll be scared of her either way, but if he's got a head's start, he gets a few nips in back."

"You just like that little sparkle in his eyes when he finally has enough to go back after her." Tatsuha remarked, trailing the cloth down his chest to let the water warm him again. "I swear sometimes I think it gets you harder than seeing a woman's breasts bouncing at a gym."

Without bothering to respond to that comment, though his lips twisted into an impish smirk, Eiri left the bath and headed back to his own room. Feeling infinitely better, he slid the door closed behind him, grunting, "Time to get your ass up, punk. Mika's coming soon."

TBC


	11. The Approaching Storm

**Ghost Monk**

by: Zemia

Disclaimer: Nobody in the Gravitation universe belongs to me. I claim no kinship whatsoever and sing Maki Murakami's praises. The only thing I'm getting out of writing these is sick sadistic pleasure out of making the character's lives even more difficult.

**A/N: After reading some of the other fanfics on this site, I've decided that the little scene in Ch9 between Yu x Shu is tame in comparison and I've put it back for your viewing pleasure. So whoever's already read through Ch 9, please go re-read and enjoy! My other stories have no reviews and they're starting to demand vengeance on Ghost Monk. sweatdrops Guess I should write some more for them, ah heh…..**

**A/N2: A note about furos. Furos are the Japanese equivalent to a hot tub, which is why they bathe first before getting into a furo. Getting into a furo without bathing first is sacrilege! As most know, hot tubs are for more than one person to share. So technically, Eiri and Tastuha are NOT taking a bath together, they're sharing the hot tub. **

**Chapter 11 – The Approaching Storm**

After having tried to wake Shuichi up a few times, which involved much growling, taking the blanket and even physically kicking the damned brat out of bed, Eiri had finally managed to get him conscious by one single little threat. One he wished he'd thought of ten minutes previous. Crossing his arms as he leaned on the doorframe, he stated with finality, in a tone that was a mixture of boredom and gruff irritation, "Che. Fine, brat. Don't get up when I tell you to."

The blonde paused a moment to see if that had any reaction. Nothing. Apparently, Shuichi had learned to tune that out, knowing he didn't mean any real threat with it. Fine by him, he could up the stakes. "Stay right there then. I'll be back in a minute to let Tatsuha have his turn at trying to wake you up. Just for the fuck of it, shits and giggles, I'll even give him one of the most outrageous outfits that bunny-biting idol of yours owns. I'm sure he can find a way to .. spice things up a bit."

Violet eyes snapped open immediately and the indignant little singer puffed up like a ruffled chicken as he leapt from the futon, balling his hands at his sides and glaring, "You wouldn't dare!"

"Try me." Eiri remarked, clearly enjoying the sight of Shuichi's small frame huffing at him as his lover stalked closer.

But the vocalist surprised his golden-eyed love when he'd finally reached him, giving him a slightly impish smile and that sparkle in his eyes that never failed to cause Eiri's breath to hitch. It also made him want to drag his little kitten back to the futon. Shuichi wrapped his arms around Eiri's waist and purred at him, "You wouldn't. You're too damned possessive of me to hand me over to Tatsuha."

Snorting his derisive objections, Eiri tilted his head back as if unaffected by Shuichi's actions and statements, even if his genki brat knew better. Forms must be kept, after all. "Time for your bath, Shu. You've now got less than ten minutes to be ready to face the storm."

"Che." Shuichi muttered, allowing Eiri to 'escort' him towards the bathing room. He was picking up some of his lover's habits, apparently. Instead of whining pathetically, clinging to Eiri and sobbing hysterically, as he would've done a few years ago, he merely mentally debated his chances of survival. It was a contest between hitching a ride back to Tokyo this late (and NOT getting violated on the way), versus staying at the Shrine with Mika around. Unfortunately for Shuichi, with his life, much akin to gambling, the odds were always in favor of the House. "I'd rather drag you back to bed."

"Later, brat. If you're good." Eiri murmured, still amused by Shuichi's maturing personality. Kami, life was a lot easier to deal with now that he didn't always have to hear the near-ultrasonic whining twenty-four/seven. Granting him an affectionate stroking down his hair and back, he then pushed the pink-haired man into the furo area. "Now bathe before you continue to stink up the place."

"Haaaiiiii……" Shuichi intoned like a child, just to piss off Eiri, smirking and trotting inside when he was rewarded by the novelist's flinch.

----------------------

Rubbing a finger in his ear, Eiri rolled his eyes and, shaking his head, made his way out to the main common room where they were all going to gather. It was something akin to 'Neutral Ground', which suited him just fine. Only their father was present, meaning Tatsuha wasn't done getting ready yet. He wasn't terribly surprised, considering the damned teen was fucking indolently lazy for a monk who was next in line to inherit the Shrine. Then he paused, realizing that he could very well possibly still be in the furo. His fears were confirmed when a high-pitched cry came from that direction, "TATTTSUUUHAAA!!! I'M NOT A BATH TOY!"

"Sharing yet another toy, son?" Uesugi-san asked without flinching at the sudden noise, daring to move the beers out of Eiri's reach.

Calmly, Eiri lit himself a cigarette, seating himself in across the table from his father and swiping at least two of the beers back, muttering, "Fuck."

Unable to contain himself, Uesugi-san lifted a beer to his lips, laughing around it as he continued to dig his eldest son further. "You'd better hope not."

"Shut. The. Fuck. Up." Eiri growled, glancing sidelong at the bare wall as a few of their ancestors floated into the room, settling themselves contentedly to watch the show. "Great. Another country heard from." The only selling point was the fact that one of them immediately stole Uesugi-san's cigarettes while he was busy tormenting Eiri. That event made him feel loads better.

Uesugi-san, having no real sensitivity, either for ghosts or even for his own children, didn't notice or feel a thing. Though he didn't discount Eiri's insistence that he could now see and speak to, the ancestors who inhabited the Shrine, he wasn't about to indulge him either. So he ignored the boy's ramblings as commonplace and glanced down for his cigarettes, only to find them missing.

Eiri smirked at the death glare he was given once the old man realized that his cigarettes were gone. "Don't blame me. It happens even when I'm not here, doesn't it?" Leaning his elbow on the table, he blew out a puff of smoke, slightly amused that he could practically feel the waves of battle aura beginning to collect around his father. "Look, pops. You can can't even control me, what makes you think any of us has any real shot at controlling beings who've had longer to practice being Uesugi Bastards than we have?"

Uesugi-san seemed to deflate, looking contemplative now as the resident ghosts began snickering. One of them waved his cane at Eiri, cheering him for one-upping his father yet again. "That's how the game's played, boy!"

Eventually, as Uesugi-san glared at the table, he muttered, "Fuck."

That caused the ghosts to cackle even harder and Eiri had to admit, at least to himself, he'd started liking these crazy bastards. Of course, that was yet another thing that he'd NEVER admit to. Raising his beer can in mock-toast, a faint smile on his lips, he murmured, "Exactly."

TBC

-----------------------------

Reviewer's New Corner: (So that you guys don't feel like I'm ignoring you!)

First off, thank you all for reading my work and taking the time out to review it. A special thanks to my four recurrent reviewers, Angelsigma, Mi Querida,

Xedra, Estelle Stafford. Your cackling has made my day! Thanks to the first-time reviewers as well, I'm glad you also like my story!

Since I already PM'd the individuals about their previous comments, this section will have to wait for the new comments if there are any. Heh, hope I cleared up the "Furo / brotherly bath" issue. Although, my other onehot IS about Eiri x Tatsuha. I plan eventually to make that into a full story. Not yet tho.


	12. The Ghost Monk

**Ghost Monk**

by: Zemia

Disclaimer: Nobody in the Gravitation universe belongs to me. I claim no kinship whatsoever and sing Maki Murakami's praises. The only thing I'm getting out of writing these is sick sadistic pleasure out of making the character's lives even more difficult.

A/N: I really wanted Mika and Tohma to already be here, but unfortunately, the Three Stooges cough I mean Uesugis cough made that impossible. I kept forgetting to try and include Uesugi-san, probably cause my brain went "NO, leave him out of this, god I hate him!" But that's probably Eiri's influence. SO! The next chapter will definitely feature our Beloved Bitchiness OW I mean… Mistress of the Clan… um.. and Tohma. Queen in his own right. Mwahaha.

**Chapter 12 – The Ghost Monk**

Nearly half an hour later, the gathered Uesugi clan (including the spectral ones which had doubled in number), and a squirming Shuichi were sitting around the table awaiting the arrival of the remaining sibling and said spawn's evil mate. The two sons had warned Uesugi-san about the ghosts, and the pranks they pulled, to which he'd bitched and gone off to look for his wayward smokes.

Tatsuha glanced up at his father returning to his seat at the table, eyeing the scowl the elder monk wore. Apparently, he hadn't found them. "No luck, eh? I'm sure the smokes'll turn up. They have before, right?" He snatched his pack away from Uesugi-san's questing fingers, glaring at him. "You give me shit about not paying for 'em, you ain't getting any."

"Dammit, Tatsuha, I give you free room and board, cable and internet access, don't say one damned word about all the women you bring over." Uesugi-san barked out at his youngest son, banging his fist on the table and causing Shuichi to jump and wish he'd stayed home. "You can't find a decent bone in your body to give your old man one fucking, lousy cigarette!?"

Lighting up a cigarette, he took a long deep puff, before glancing sidelong at him. "Honestly? Nope."

The Uesugi leader tossed a death glare towards Eiri, who held onto his own cigarettes like they were the last ones he'd ever see. "See what an example you set for him!? See what he's turned into because of you?!"

"A person who can speak up for himself?" Eiri muttered, blowing a ring of smoke towards their father before leaning back on his palm. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I forgot you wanted a simpering, bowing yes-man who would kiss your ass and do whatever the fuck you said. Too bad you had us instead."

"Um… Yuki… you know, this seems like a real .. family thing and I, maybe I should just wait outside?" Shuichi suggested softly, hoping against the odds that Eiri would allow him to leave, tossing wary glances at the father who'd gone to an unhealthy red color. "Is that healthy for him?" he asked, snitching a cigarette out of his lover's pack and slipping it over to his 'father-in-law', which finally earned him something of a single notch in the old man's approval rating.

"You're not leaving my sight again until we're gone. I've got enough problems without having you molested again." Eiri immediately muttered, grunting as he glared at Shuichi for daring to touch his smokes. "Look brat, you don't for those, keep your fucking hands off of them."

Shuichi's eyes took on a defiant spark as he retorted, "I pay for them in the second-hand smoke I live in on a daily basis and don't complain about." It was a great start to the fighting-form he'd need when Mika finally showed up.

All three Uesugi men stared at Shuichi in shock for a moment, before Tatsuha and their father started laughing their asses off. Uesugi-san took the opportunity to light up, inhaling deeply to curb the withdrawal symptoms before his eldest pain in the ass thought to take his cancer stick away again.

"You don't have to live there, you know." Eiri growled, narrowing his eyes at the younger brat. To get even, he curled his lip up into a sneer as he tossed back at his lover, "You certainly have no complaints kissing me as I taste of smoke, or doing anything else for that matter. As a matter of fact, we were complimented quite nicely on a spectacular performance tonight."

Cheeks turning as pink as his hair, Shuichi stared in horror at Eiri as his thought processes reviewed the novelist's words. _Performance. Compliments._ He turned to glare at Tatsuha, jumping up to glomp onto and smack at his arm, "You taped us again you perverted bastard!? Wasn't bad enough that you tried to fuck with me in the furo, which is just nasty by the way!?"

Laughing, Tatsuha held Shuichi at arm's length, offering the flailing beast to his brother. "I didn't do anything this time! Though, now that you mention it, it sounds like a great idea!"

"Then what the fuck is he talking about!?" Shuichi demanded, squirming now in Eiri's lap as his lover wrapped his arms around him, trapping his arms. "YUKI!"

"Nothing. Just some of my ancestors being about as perverted as Tatsuha, which is probably where we inherited it from. Saying things like, 'That little pink-haired one sure does squirm nicely.' 'I like the way he can do and at the same time.' What was the other one? Hnn… No that was what they said about me, oh I know. The other one I remember hearing back at the Shrine was 'He sure is fucking hot when he gets flushed and panting like that, I really wish I had a dick so I could fuck him too.' Things of that nature."

Shuichi's eyes grew wider and wider the more Eiri spoke about what the 'ghosts' were saying. He, personally, didn't really believe in ghosts, but he wouldn't discount his Yuki's accusations. Blushing furiously, he frowned up at Eiri, ignoring the other two who were casting him calculating looks, trying to figure out if he really could do both things at once. "That's really mean of you to talk about our sex life to your family like that." Then he paused for a heartbeat before asking, "There are beings more perverted than TATSUHA!?"

"HEY! Shut the fuck up, I don't have to be nice to you, you know!" Tatsuha declared hotly, throwing an empty beer can at Shuichi, causing a ring mark on his forehead.

Clutching his forehead, which Eiri let an arm go in order for him to accomplish, Shuichi yelled, "OW! Dammit, Tatsuha! What the hell!?"

"To these people, I'm to leave my Shrine…." Uesugi-san muttered, taking another beer in an attempt to get wasted before the fireworks began. Being buzzed made his daughter's shrill bitching a bit more tolerable. At least she was useful in corralling the two shitheads that inherited his name permanently.

"Hey boy!" Great-great-grandpa Uesugi called from his perch at the window. "You, the blonde fuckhead who can hear us!" When he'd seen Eiri twitch, he knew he'd gotten his attention. "Your sister's here!" he called, pointing to a car that was still down the road, three minutes from pulling into the gates.

The ghost's nephew, great-granduncle Uesugi, rubbed his hands together, immediately seating himself across from Uesugi-san. "Mehehehehe…. Now the fun REALLY starts."

Shoving the vocalist out of his lap, which caused another indignant squawk, Eiri took another beer and opened it with a malcontented growl. "Mika's here."

Shuichi immediately cringed, wrapping both arms around one of Eiri's which caused the novelist to grunt and shove him a foot away. "But Yukiiiii…"

"Oh shut up and deal with it, punk, or do you want to be her stomping grounds forever?" Eiri growled, really not happy and starting to feel the effects of a really long day, on top of the side-effects a missed dose of the medication caused, not to mention the major factor to his stress levels.

"There's no sign of Mika, Aniki…" Tatsuha said, having gone to the window to stare out, not aware of the glare he was getting by his ancestor for standing on the hem of his robe. "Are you putting anything new in those cigarettes of yours?"

"The ghosts probably told him." Uesugi-san sneered, clearly tossing insults towards his blonde-haired son. He was still not really believing what he'd been told, having thought it another ruse for the kid to shirk his duties.

Light from a car flickered across the room, bathing them all in the glow for a moment as it turned into the parking area of the Shrine. Tatsuha, Shuichi and Uesugi-san all turned to stare at Eiri, who calmly sat there, drinking his beer, lifting his lips behind it as the ghosts cackled and tossed insults towards the ones that couldn't hear them.

TBC

Reviewer's Corner -

catmum56 - Thank you very much and welcome to Ghost Monk! Heh like I told Mi Querida, I can only write as fast as I can. When I first put this story up, I only had the first three chapters. So Chapter 4 through Chapter 11 is brand spanking new since joining in November. What an encouragement to keep writing and not drag my ass eh?

Mi Querida - Um, more than welcome. I tried writing some for the other stories and they were all like " sigh finish a bit more of that one. It's fine." at me. I've been concentrating a bit on Devil's Snare since that one's a 'requested story' for one of my friends, but I've been trying to add a few lines to Ghost Monk every day or so too. It's hard, cause I've got a lot going on IRL now. So I apologize for making you wait. Heh, I write as fast as I can write.

Riiiceballe - Heh. It was meant to be left hanging. Ooooh cookie! nibbles Thankee thankee. And it'll be plenty angsty... hnn... speaking of Shuichi's soul... 9, 9 Anybody want teasers? There ya go.

Vindalootoo - Thank you! I'm glad you like it. Lol. All of my stories seem to wind up with some of my sarcastic humor through it, so even when trying to be serious, my characters make smartassed comments. Sleep depriving? Aww, I'm sorry! Heh, it's weird, cause this story is about 10 pages in Word, altho the margins are 0.6 and the font is 8. I wonder how long it'd be if I put it up to 10 or 12 pt font and 1" margins. Hnn.

Xedra - Well, I figured, they grew up together and Tatsuha was the only one who'd never treated him different cause of his looks, so they WOULD be the two most comfortable with each other, out of the Uesugi family. I've been roleplaying Eiri on/off for a good three years now at various rp sites, so I'd HOPE I'm at least decent at him. heh. Tatsuha I've only been doing for a year, at a strictly Gravi rp forums. He's about as easy for me as Eiri. Mika's not so hard. It's Tohma and Shuichi I'm having problems with.

Shuichi is ... very very hard. lol. I don't feel very 'genki' a lot of time, so getting him to do so is effort on my part. But I have to remember that it's at least two years after the end of Gravi, which means Shu HAD to grow up some. So blending the genki and maturity is tricky. Ear bites are kawaii. Shu loves taking advantage. Heh. Thanks, I LOVE the Uesugi Ghosts. I can be as snarky with them as I want, cause they're my inventions. LOL.

Hikaru Itsuko - Thanks! No, not all of the ghosts likes Shu. They just haven't made an appearance yet. At some point, I have to get them away from the shrine. That's when the REAL fun will start. LOL.

Morlana - Thank you very much! This story started about .. um.. November 2005, I was reading over something that remarked on how sensitive he really is (to emotions around him, auras etc), which sparks the bastard mask to protect himself. And then when I was roleplaying Eiri one day (something I do to this day, which keeps me in practice) I went ... if he's so sensitive... shouldn't he be attuned to ghosts too then? Once that question filtered, it was all downhill from there into my world of snarky sense of humor, smirking and going "And who'd be the one ghost who he'd hate to see?"

AngelSigma - Hello again! Welcome back to another installment of my insanity. I have got to stop starting new story ideas, it slows down the ones I have currently. LOL. I've been trying to work on Devil's Snare, as it was a "commission fanfic", but Ghost Monk still comes out first. Some reason it's easier to write about. snickers Yes, Yes, Mature Shu much better! He's so much easier for me to deal with than that whining brat he was. LOL My best friend, who's gone now (SIGH) I couldn't get to watch more than the first episode. She kept insisting that Eiri should kick him out permanently or kill him with something heavy. She couldn't stand Shu at all! So I gave up making her watch them. BUT she'd sit there patiently accepting tidbits of funny stuff in the manga.


	13. Uesugi Shrine Showdown

**Ghost Monk**

by: Zemia

Disclaimer: Nobody in the Gravitation universe belongs to me. I claim no kinship whatsoever and sing Maki Murakami's praises. May they forever toss my money into their giant pool of cash. The only thing I'm getting out of writing these is sick sadistic pleasure out of making the character's lives even more difficult.

**Chapter 13 – Uesugi Shrine Showdown**

Mika entered first, her purse hanging from near-dangling fingers as she pushed the door open with a clenched fist, ready to deck someone already. Tohma followed behind her, carrying the bag of party supplies, both his AND Shuichi's, which he'd grabbed before they'd left. They were a bit late due to stopping by the drug store for an emergency supply of Eiri's prescriptions. The eldest Uesugi sibling stopped short as she spotted all of them, including the pink-haired bastard, sitting around the central table as if they were one big happy fucking family. Though she'd known he was there, she still growled out, "What the hell are you doing here, Shindou?"

Shuichi glared up at Mika as he stood, so at least if she kicked something on his body, it wouldn't automatically be his face. "Yuki let me in, and Uesugi-san allowed me to stay. So I have every right to be here." He dared a slight glance over at the two dark-haired Uesugi males, who nodded at him to back him up. Something that wouldn't have happened, had Shuichi not given the old man a cigarette, that was for sure. Giving them a faint smile, he turned back and got that sparkle in his eyes that the brothers had been talking about earlier. He was ready to give as good as he got.

Tohma peered from around his taller wife, ignoring the rage that was becoming palpable from the woman, and gave them all the polite smile that he tended to hide behind as he handed over several bottles from the bags. "Good evening to you all. I trust you've all had a nice day?" A slight fading of his smile the only indication that the keyboardist was worried about the stress levels Eiri was, for once, managing to subdue, he touched the younger man's shoulder, suggesting, "You should take these right now, Eiri-san. You can stop worrying, we're here now. We'll take care of you."

Grunting, Eiri popped a few pills, knowing they wouldn't kick in before the 'fun' and he'd probably damage something. Or someone. He glanced over Tohma's shoulder, where one of his ancestors was making a fuss over his brother-in-law's comment.

"Yeah, I know just how you wanna 'take care of him', you lecherous adulterer!" a great-grandfather growled, looking for the world like he wanted to bop Tohma over the head with his cane for daring touch Eiri, especially with Mika right there. "You gotta great gal in my great-granddaughter and you try to take her little brother while she watches. Fucking lovely! If I could, I'd come down there and kick your little feather-fetish freakin' ass myself! Eiri! You gonna sit there and take this shit!?"

Another, what must've been the first's brother, chuckled as he found a way to mimic spectral beer cans. He sipped at it contentedly, before replying, "Now, now. They are all descended from us, and can handle themselves. I'm pretty sure Mika can handle her pansy husband."

"She's busy at the moment trying to decide how far she can throw Shuichi." their father, the one who had a thing for the singer, muttered, keeping an eye on his great-great-granddaughter. "Why the hell did she have to show up?! She's fucking with the fun! If these two weren't here, they could've gone at it again." He growled and stalked closer to the pair. "I swear, if she touches a single girly-pink strand…."

"They would've done that faster, had someone not given his two cents on rating their performances…" another replied in a dry sarcastic tone. This one moved Tatsuha's cigarettes out of Uesugi-san's reach, since the teenager was fixated on the dinner theatre.

"It's not my fault that I was so overcome with pride that I just HAD to tell him!"

All of the commentary had been said one right after the other, and as such, had gone by quickly enough for Eiri to respond to Tohma without it having come after an odd pause. Unable to help it, Eiri chuckled at his ancestor's outbursts, though he was sure Tohma wouldn't appreciate it being repeated. Loathe as he was to admit to anything, the ghosts were the highlight of the entire visit, apart from having sex with Shuichi. At least SOME good had come out of his 'birthday present' from the gods who seemed to take perverse pleasure in fucking with his head and life.

Uesugi-san, Tatsuha, and even Shuichi to a point, were getting used to Eiri's random moments of 'responding to air', or the ancestral ghosts as he termed it. So they didn't even bother responding to his seemingly out of place reaction. But Mika and Tohma had just arrived, not having been updated on anything so far, and so the two of them stood there staring at him as if a body snatcher had wandered by under their noses. For all three of them!

Mika dropped her hold on Shindou's shirt and stalked closer to Eiri, frowning dangerously. "You're not well. What'd Shindou do to you this time!? I swear Eiri, you should've gotten rid of him a long time ago!"

"Hey!" Shuichi stalked over as well, glaring at his 'sister-in-law' and barking, "I didn't do anything this time. He was raving like a loony even before I stepped foot in the Shrine!"

Not such a good thing to repeat. Golden eyes latched onto him akin to a hawk sighting the trembling rabbit down below. "What was that, brat?"

Shuichi flinched and smiled lovingly up at his taciturn lover, trying to backpedal, "Uh… eh heh…. Heh…. I mean… I love you, Yuki?"

"I've had enough for today. As always, Mika and Tohma, pleasure to give you five minutes of time." Eiri waved, took his beer and immediately shuffled towards his room. "You know the way home."

As Tohma immediately dropped whatever he'd been doing, namely denying another request of Tatsuha's for groping-distance rights to be at the next concert they had, to trot after Eiri. "I'd like a moment with you!" he called after his little Eiri.

"Yeah, I'll just bet you would." Eiri muttered, watching half of the ghosts split up, the Tohma's-ass-kicking ghost following him. "I hope you left the nurses' outfit at home this time. That shit freaked me out."

---------

Everyone watched him leave until they heard his door close, then Mika turned back to Shuichi, furious. "You little shit-faced bastard, what'd you do to Eiri this time?!" she growled, hauling Shuichi up by the front of his shirt, intent on causing him bodily harm.

The singer went wide-eyed as he saw the near-maniacal anger in her eyes. "I already told you, I didn't do anything!"

"You liar, every time something bad happens to Eiri, you're always around when it does!"

"I swear I didn't do it!" Shuichi denied, tears beginning to form in his eyes at the thought that his Yuki was damaged and he couldn't do anything to help it. "When I got here, he was ye-mpf."

"This time, Shu's right, Onesan." Tatsuha had come to Shu's rescue, covering his mouth so he couldn't reveal anything of Kitazawa's presence, pulling the poor singer away from his equally insane sister. "Your precious little brother's finally gone off the deep end. He's been 'talking with the ancestors' in more than a figurative sense."

Mika's ire immediately shifted towards Tatsuha, "What the hell are you defending the punk for?! What the fuck are you talking about!?" She turned to their father, who'd managed to snag a cigarette out of Tatsuha's pack in the confusion. "What's going on here, Otoosan? Wait, you don't smoke menthol!"

"I'm defending him because you're acting like some psycho-bitch and he didn't do anything to earn it this time!" Tatsuha paused then whipped his head around to glare at his father. "Dammit, pops! Keep your fucking hands off my cigarettes!" he shouted, snatching up the offended pack.

Uesugi chuckled at his youngest son, then nodded to indicate Eiri's room, contentedly blowing a ring of smoke towards his children. "Why don't you go ask Eiri about his disowning the entirety of the Uesugi clan?"

"I think I will." Mika growled, glaring at Shuichi one last time, hissing, "I can't believe he let you in!" Then she stomped down the hall, chasing after her brother and husband. If Tohma had his hands on him, she'd smack him around too.

Shuichi quivered from the aftermath of having stood up to Mika, then looked up the few inches into the face of his lover's brother, his nose nearly tickling the younger man's chin. "T-Tatsuha… do you think that maybe …." He paused, trying to figure out how best to put it delicately.. "..she needs pills too?"

"Oh trust me. I've thought that for years." Tatsuha patted Shuichi's head, then released him, dragging him off to the kitchen. "Beer?"

Shuichi would normally have denied it, not liking to drink around the Uesugi family, due to their increased affection for even more Shu-Abuse. However, considering the day he'd just had, he slowly nodded, letting Tatsuha lead him into the kitchen as he put on a genki smile and shouted, "Sure. Lead on to the golden nectar of the drunken gods!"

"You are SO weird." Tatsuha drawled, earning even more chuckles from the spectral Uesugi members. This was the most fun they've had in years.

-------

Shimmering faintly in the glow of the lanterns along the gates of the Shrine, Kitazawa frowned in thought as he mulled over the possibilities that Eiri would tell Tohma and Mika about his existence. It was time to up the stakes again. "Get some ears, he'd told me. Hmm." Turning, he sighed in exasperation as the sword-wielding psychopath continued to bitch at him in an older dialect of Japanese. "With that thick accent, you think a foreigner like me is going to understand you?"

Brandishing is sword, Uesugi-spectre didn't give two shits whether the man 'understood him' or not. He would defend his family and his home from this unwelcome intruder. Eiri had expressed harm at the hands of this man. He would not allow him to pass.

Kitazawa's eyes narrowed, then turned to go. He hadn't told the exact truth when he'd told Eiri he was stuck by his side. It was just more fun there than anywhere else. Get some ears. Well, he would see about that. Nodding to his pupil's ancestor with something akin to dubious respect, he headed off towards the bright lights of Tokyo to practice 'getting some ears'. He had a most wicked idea, but he wanted to see if he could accomplish the feat, before he tried attempting it for real.

TBC


	14. American Idling

Ghost Monk

By: Zemia

Disclaimer: Nobody in the Gravitation universe belongs to me. I claim no kinship whatsoever and sing Maki Murakami's praises. The only thing I'm getting out of writing these is sick sadistic pleasure out of making the character's lives even more difficult.

**Chapter 14 – American Idling**

Déjà vu. "TOHMA, YOU'VE GOT ONE MINUTE TO GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF …." A pause, then the revision, "YOU GOT ONE SECOND THEN!" The bitching got louder when Eiri's door was opened as Mika stormed in, then lowered once more as the door was slammed.

In the kitchen, Tatsuha and Shuichi jerked their heads up at the shouting, and the younger Uesugi raised an eyebrow at Shuichi, clearly asking if he was going to 'rescue' his boyfriend.

With a chuckle, Shuichi held up his beer bottle to Tatsuha with a mild smirk making his usually good-natured temperament seem wickedly sexy. "Another beer?"

Tatsuha's other eyebrow rose. A snicker emerged from the violet-eyed singer, as he gave him an explanation, "Look. I learned long ago the um… how shall we say… expensiveness…. of bursting in and rescuing that man. Monetarily, physically and emotionally. Especially being rescued from Tohma." Finishing off the beer, he got the second one on his own, shrugging, "Yuki wanted me to stop, I've stopped. I love him to death, but he's on his own. ESPECIALLY with Mika in there."

"You know… I don't think my siblings, or Tohma, have realized just how evil you can really be." Tatsuha began laughing, getting a second beer of his own, patting Shuichi on the back. "I like you more and more every day."

"Just don't call me Ryuichi again."

Kitazawa wandered through the crowds of Tokyo, hovering a few feet off the ground so that he could get a better view of the individual people. From his vantage point, he could see their faces, their body language (which would tell him their behavior patterns), and let him feel for compatible energy. That was a good starting point, according to the book he'd managed to knock off of the shelf at the store. Compatibility was important, though not entirely necessary. It just helped speed things along. Awareness and strength of will played important factors as well. Hopefully, it wasn't all someone writing out of their asses, cause he was about to test theories.

Ah. A target.

Moving to intercept, Kitazawa felt for the man's distraction levels and reached out to touch him. Distracted indeed, and what a lovely opportunity. Slowly, keeping his eyes open (really, closing your eyes was dumb, you might get the wrong person), he sank into the man's body, waiting for the adjustment period as the body accepted him as a resident. Then, he moved to become the primary resident. With an apology to the man, who's name he'd found out was Azumano Hanzo, he promised the encounter to be brief and that he'd make sure the girl wasn't mad at him.

After eight years out of a body, being in one again, especially sharing with someone else, felt tight and uncomfortable, but he'd bear with it. A brief flicker of doubt appeared, wondering if this was another form of rape and, twitching, realized it was. But he wasn't about to stop, he hadn't before, and he had a goal to accomplish. If he could do it to the boy he'd loved, and still loved, he could do it to strangers. At Azumano's desperate pleading, Kitazawa began walking towards the train station, intent on getting the poor schmuck on his way.

He wanted to try and see if he could suppress the main persona, putting them to sleep so to speak, so that they wouldn't have to remember doing anything 'unnatural'. But that would have to wait. As soon as he reached the turnstiles, he relinquished his control of Azumano's body, much to the man's relief. Shaking his head, Azumano declared that he wouldn't ever drink again.

Glancing around once more, Kitazawa spotted a new likely candidate exiting the train and heading for the entrance to the station. He seemed a perfect test subject, shy, quiet and geeky. Probably had no girlfriend, lived alone and since he was exiting the station, had to live around it somewhere. With a lazy smile crossing his features, he followed close behind.

The 'nerd's' name, as it turned out, was Masatoshi Natsu and as stereotyped as he was in his looks, he maintained a very decent-sized apartment considering he lived in Tokyo proper. Kitazawa looked over the apartment with a critical eye for detail, noticing that the wood floors were polished, bookshelves lined neatly with nothing overhanging, white walls and wooden cabinets were dust free. He had to admit, he was impressed, having been under the assumption that this man would have stacks of paper and other things around that would help complete his image.

In full control of the sleeping man's body, he slipped the keys into the jacket pocket and locked the door, took his shoes off to put the house slippers on, and delved deeper into the man's world. He was now positive that he could control a person whether they were 'awake' or not. That was most excellent news. Finding a beer in the refrigerator, he took his first taste of alcohol in way too long.

Euphoric, he brought the bottle into what he found to be the bedroom and rummaged through the man's clothes until he found a pair of pajamas. Masatoshi would require them when he was through. Changing his clothes, he finished off the beer and put the bottle into the recycling can before seating himself on the bed, reclined against the pillows. Now came the fun part of his little 'experiment'. This was the part he was doing the entire test for, what he needed to know for his later plans.

Placing his hands on his chest, he half-closed his eyes at the feel of a body under his touch, exploring contours and the silky feel of skin. For a brief instant, as a hand found a nipple, while the other wandered into the waistband of his pajamas, he cursed Eiri for killing him, robbing him of these sensations. But he knew deep down, it was _he_ who had robbed the boy of innocence, and sanity first. When push came to shove, who had suffered more?

Masatoshi's 'endowments' were less than his own had been, but they served their purpose as his fingers curled around the already-hardening member. With practiced ease born from years of experience, he created a rhythm which would quickly spiral him over the elusive plateau that he strove for. Feeling good-natured, he even allowed Masatoshi to 'wake up' a bit, just enough to feel the alcohol buzz and the pleasure of orgasm, when it hit.

Confusion filtered through his mind from the body's owner, which was quickly abandoned for the soft moan echoing in his head. It was an odd feeling, in its own way, to be able to pleasure another by masturbating yourself. Unused to the strain of doing too much at once, as well as not having gotten off in awhile, it was only a few minutes before he could feel his scrotum tightening, his groin aching in pleasant familiarity.

Reaching over for a few tissues, he quickened the pace, panting heavily as he curled the paper against and over the slit in his erection. Unable to contain himself any longer, he threw back his head and cried out softly as his hips bucked upwards, his body arching as he spent his seed into the wad of paper. Laying still for a few moments as his penis throbbed pleasurably, emitting a few more droplets into the already well-used tissues, he sighed with utter bliss and contentment. "Fuck…."

Chuckling to himself, he cleaned up the last of the mess and tossed the tissues into the wastebasket near the bed. Fixing the pajamas and pulling up the covers, he released control of Masatoshi's body, allowing the man to drift into a natural doze. Thoroughly satiated, especially for a ghost, Kitazawa strolled through the front door and out into the Tokyo evening.

It was time to head back to Uesugi Shrine.

TBC


	15. Like Sand Through Your Fingers

Disclaimer: Nobody in the Gravitation universe belongs to me. I claim no kinship whatsoever and sing Maki Murakami's praises. The only thing I'm getting out of writing these is sick sadistic pleasure out of making the character's lives even more difficult.

Ghost Monk

By: Zemia

_**Chapter 15 – Like Sand Through Your Fingers**_

Dawn filtered the reddish hue of the sun across the futons within the shrine as birdsong trilled through the crisp wintry morning air. Soft sounds of chanting could be heard from the Shrine area as Uesugi-san performed a ceremonial rite to a couple in mourning. He would've made Tatsuha do it normally, since it was one of the more simple routines, but the boy was still out-cold from the previous night's events. Mika and Tohma were still asleep as well, after Mika had retreated into her room to reassess the situation and adjust her battle plans accordingly.

Then there was Eiri. Well, he wasn't even going to go there.

Shuichi shifted in his sleep, frowning slightly as if he were deep in thought, or had tasted something that didn't sit well with him. With a faint moan, his hand brushed across the space where Eiri had been not too long before, expecting to find warm skin under his questing fingers. The futon was cooled which was very strange, considering his lover was definitely not a morning person. There've been countless times where he'd gotten tossed to the floor trying to wake up the nocturnal novelist. He'd learned to pick his battles carefully since then.

Finally opening his eyes a sliver, cringing at the light that pierced his headache, he found the older man sitting in the place he'd found him the day before. Out on the veranda Eiri sat with one leg propped up, causing the folds of his kimono to pool around his crotch, exposing a pale thigh to Shuichi's view. Staring blankly out at the yard before him, he absently took pulls of the cigarette he held, when he seemed to remember its existence. Finding him in this position once was disturbing enough, but twice in twenty-four hours? And after the night they had had? On the heels of that thought, Shuichi couldn't help the instinctive shudder as his mind brought back a few images from the previous night.

_Unable to make any promise with her headstrong brother, Mika had started an all-out fight between Uesugi-san, Eiri and herself. Tohma tried to interject now and then while Shuichi and Tatsuha watched the theatrics with sickened amusement. Until Mika turned her attention to Shuichi, once more starting to bash and abuse him, arguing that it was his fault that Eiri's shell against her had gotten stronger._

_Shuichi had then argued back, standing up for himself fully for the first time in their relationship. The woman's eyes widened and even Tohma had stared at him in shock, while the Uesugi men chuckled behind their backs. Eiri then made his traditional snide comments, before making his way to his room once more. The ghosts, meanwhile, were having the time of their lives. They were taking sides and placing bets on who was going to win the argument._

_Mika came out of her stupor to drag him back, which caused his anger to finally snap. Shoving her against a wall, eyes blazing bright with his checked fury, he snarled that he was handling his situation and she was NOT making it any better. Growling under his breath, he muttered, "Go home." Then he turned to walk away from her yet again. She tried to reach for him once more but Tohma, recognizing the signs in his brother-in-law, held her back for her own good. "Let him go." Eiri proceeded to drag Tatsuha and Shuichi off to binge drink the night away, with Eiri and Tatsuha beginning to discuss how an exorcism works and how he'd go about doing them. Then he cursed at the fact that he'd actually have to practice at it for a bit before any of his results would be effective._

Now that the alcohol fog had lifted from his brain, Shuichi began sorting the pieces of the puzzle out, not liking the outcome he was producing. Eiri could now, if accounts were to be believed, see ghosts. That would've been bad enough, but the singer knew that Eiri would've dealt with that problem the same way he'd dealt with him. Ignored it and the ghosts as well. But Eiri hadn't done those things. Eiri was radiating hurt and vulnerability, so much so that he'd run here, to the Shrine, yelling about pedophiles when Shuichi himself showed up.

Two plus two. Once in a rare while it managed to make itself add up to four.

Violet eyes widened as Shuichi breathed a single name, "Kitazawa-san." Managing to extract himself from the comforter, the young man padded over to Eiri, calling out, "Yuki?"

Smoke curled around Eiri's head twice before he decided to answer, his voice chilly, "What do you want this time?"

"Yuki, I … " Bucking up his courage, Shuichi knelt before his lover, eyes shining with love and concern. "I want to help you with this. If Kitazawa-san's…"

"Don't you DARE say anything about him. You have no fucking clue!" Eiri exploded, restraining himself at the last minute before he damaged Shuichi more than he'd have liked. "That's none of your business."

"But Yuki, you're in pain! I only want to help you! Why won't you let me help!?"

The golden eyes narrowed as the cold shell of indifferent bastard fell into place. "Didn't I tell you at the gates? I'm fucking perfect." Grinding out the cigarette, he picked it up and headed inside. "Get your clothes. We're leaving in five minutes."

Watching Eiri walk away from him again, Shuichi managed to force himself out of crying, even as his heart ached for his taciturn novelist. "Hai, Yuki."

Five minutes later found the two of them standing in the courtyard to the entrance of the Shrine. The only person who was awake other than them was Uesugi-san and the ghosts, several of which helped their descendant out by distracting his father. Currently, the head of the household could be found chasing after the floating pack of cigarettes on the other side of the Shrine.

One snag remained. Neither of Eiri nor Shuichi had come by car, and it was a long walk to the train station. Then, Eiri hit on a brilliant idea, and he flashed Shuichi a thoroughly smug tilt of his lips in rare mischief. It was a look that Shuichi got rarely, and never failed to cause his heart to beat heavily in his chest, wanting to pounce the man and ravish him thoroughly.

Striding over to Tohma's car, the blonde revealed a bit of the Punk Yuki that had grown up rough and on the streets after the incident in New York. Lifting its hood, he took all of two seconds to hotwire it, looking thoroughly satisfied with himself as he then jimmied the lock on the driver's side. "Well? You walking to Tokyo?"

"But Yuki, if we take this… won't Mika and Tohma…"

"They'll be stuck taking the train." Eiri answered, climbing into the car and shutting the door. He would give Shuichi to the count of five to get into the car before he stranded him as well.

Knowing that he would, Shuichi scrambled to get his ass into the passenger side before Eiri peeled out of the Shrine, with the hope that the old guy with the sword was still keeping Kitazawa busy. He didn't know yet that the ghost was still traveling back there. "They're gonna be pissed when they get up and find us and the car gone."

"Tough shit for them." Eiri replied evenly, keeping his eye on the road and out for stray ghosts. His tone wasn't hostile, but it wasn't quite friendly either, meaning he wanted his space. "We'll call Tatsuha when he wakes up to drag his ass to Tokyo tomorrow."

Giving in to Eiri's moods, Shuichi turned to stare out the window, giving up the argument. It was just easier that way. "Okay, Yuki."

When they were an hour's drive closer to Tokyo, a shriek echoed through the Shrine, followed by cursing more colorful than Shuichi's hair. "That fucking arrogant, ungrateful bastard! I can't believe he took the damn car and stranded us here!"

"The early bird catches the Porsche?" Tohma asked, secretly amused at the turn of events. It was proving to be a most entertaining encounter.

"Shut it, Seguchi!"

Only Tatsuha got the faintest of clues that the Shrine's resident specters were laughing their asses off at the latest turn of events. He sat there with a faint smile on his face as he ate his breakfast, murmuring, "Like sand through your fingers…"


	16. Honestly, No More Alcohol For You

A/N: Gah! Real Life is a hellbeast!! I have no time to write anymore, no time to THINK anymore. Since February, I've been working four jobs which, HOPEFULLY, two will end by the end of June and I'll be able to write more. So sorry for the delays. Thank you all who've waited so patiently for a next installment! Your praise comments mean a lot, though still, I don't withhold chapters until I get more reviews! I just can't find time to write! But here you are, chapter 16!

_**Chapter 16 – Honestly, No More Alcohol For You**_

An hour's distance from the outskirts of Tokyo, Kitazawa paused in his flight to Kyoto. Eiri was closer to him than he'd thought he'd be. The bond was still strong between them, even after eight years. It meant that the grumpy blonde had finally abandoned the sanctuary of the Shrine. Really, the boy's ability to ignore things and others, something he'd stoically built up over time, seemed to be rapidly degrading.

It had only taken the novelist a day and a half to run this time. It was probably Shuichi's fault, since the pink freak was constantly yelling at Eiri to pay attention to him. Now that he had a location, he headed for the car that his favorite possession had boosted from his sister.

Still feeling queasy from overdoing the booze, Shuichi allowed Eiri his blessed silence. Instead, he took to staring out the window to watch the countryside jet by at ninety miles per hour. He'd long since given up wondering by what sort of miracle ensured that all of the Uesugi children never receive speeding violations. He just figured that, between them and the scarily connected Tohma, some miracles had a price tag.

Though Eiri did, indeed, enjoy the quiet permeating the car, it still unnerved him. It wasn't normal for Shuichi to be THAT still for over two hours, even when he slept. In fact, he didn't think it was possible. Of course the kid HAD calmed down but even so, he'd continued to make some noise!

Every so often, he'd glance over at his koi, keeping a wary eye on him in case he got ill or fell over. After all, it looked like Tohma had just had the interior cleaned and he didn't want to get bitched at for the mess.

Yeah.

Right.

"Ne, brat. I'm stopping for breakfast." Eiri finally tried, swallowing his medications dry as he looked for any reaction out of Shuichi. However, the sickly green shade clashed with the bright pink of Shuichi's hair and Eiri decided that it was one reaction he hadn't wanted. "You can stay in... NEXT TO... the car." Better to correct that mistake before it was made than having to clean the interior by hand.

"..." Shuichi tossed a half-hearted glare at his lover, before opening the window and leaning partially out of it to get some fresh air and settle his stomach. "Whatever."

"Get your ass back in the window before I swerve into something heavy and slam your face in." Eiri growled, irritated at Shuichi's behavior. Maturity was one thing, acting like HIM was another thing altogether.

"Like that's anything new." Shuichi muttered, pulling himself back in before Eiri made good on his threat, since the car took the exit to head for a restaurant the older man knew of nearby.

It was Eiri's turn to toss an annoyed glance Shuichi's way. He growled, "What was that, punk?"

"Nothin." The pink-haired singer knew that there was no use trying to be genki or placating while Eiri was in this tone, so he would give back what he got. It was this ideal mood that would prove most advantageous in the next few minutes.

Choosing to ignore Shuichi's hangover bitchiness, Eiri pulled into a spot next to the restaurant and got out of the car, letting his lover get out before he manually set the locks. Once done, he headed into the restaurant without bothering to check if he was being followed.

Shuichi stared at Eiri's back for a moment before shoving his hands in his pockets and shuffling towards the entrance, deep in thought. Having caught up to them finally, Kitazawa found him a moment later, smiling faintly as he watched Shuichi's movements. Perfect.

Standing right in front of the door, Kitazawa waited until Shuichi pulled a hand out of his pocket and reached for the handle. The singer frowned as his hand and arm felt that weird tingling as it touched the handle, pulling it back and rubbing at it. Maybe he was having a stroke. That'd make Eiri's day, he was sure, get rid of a nuisance.

Shaking it off, he reached his hand out again, right through Kitazawa and grabbed the handle, pulling it open. An unreadable expression on his face, the ex-tutor placed his hand on Shuichi's, then disappeared.

TBC


	17. Would You, uh, Like Hash Browns wThat?

Disclaimer: Nobody in the Gravitation universe belongs to me. I claim no kinship whatsoever and sing Maki Murakami's praises. The only thing I'm getting out of writing these is sick sadistic pleasure out of making the character's lives even more difficult.

Ghost Monk

By: Zemia

A/N: Thank you all for your support! It means a lot to me, really! I'm glad you're enjoying it as much as I am, Eiri's totally bitchy at the moment in my head for what I'm putting him through. Ashen Phoenix - me? evil genius? mehehe... didn't realize my cape was showing... I'm not that evil for this one. I think I do worse to Suguru Fujisaki and Yoshiki Kitazawa in my two other stories. , Xedra, meandsesshy, dragonlance, Em-chan 01 - thank you so much for your continued support. Mehehe, yes.. it is the birth of ... KITA-SHU! Vindalootoo - lol. Yes I do believe that if Kitazawa didn't drink before. He will now!

_**Chapter 17 – Would You, uh, Like Hash Browns with That?**_

With a strangled gasp, Shuichi slumped to the floor, blocking the entrance, barely aware as several patrons coming out began screaming about a pink-haired girl fainting in the doorway. To Shuichi, it felt like someone had blindsided him and was now sitting on his chest. He couldn't breathe and his vision grew hazy as he felt darkness trying to envelop him. Whispering followed him into oblivion, though he couldn't understand the words, 'Perfect. Just perfect.' Managing a last groan, a word formed on his lips, and he murmured, "Yuki…"

Leaning close to him to check for a heartbeat, a woman heard his muttering and, hand still resting on his neck to make sure of a pulse, questioned, "Yuki?" She looked up at her companion, relaying the message she couldn't be sure that she'd heard. "She's calling for a Yuki."

Frowning with worry, he nodded and glanced around before opening the door to call inside as well. "Hey! Is there a 'Yuki' around here!? This girl is hurt and calling for you! Yuki!?"

Having been in the middle of getting a table, Eiri turned towards the entrance at the shouting, frowning instantly. What the hell sort of drama-queen bullshit was Shuichi pulling THIS time!? After a slight mental debate, he finally declined the table and shifted his reservation for one that would open up in the next twenty minutes. Then he made his way to the entrance to see what the brat was up to and, if he didn't get a table by then, he vowed to leave Shuichi by the dumpsters before going to eat.

Reaching the scene, Eiri stared down at Shuichi being pampered by a strange woman, though it didn't look like the singer was conscious. For a moment, jealousy flared within him over the idea that someone else dared touch what belonged to him, but he put it aside. After all, killing the woman wouldn't help the situation. Lack of food making his attitude deteriorate further, Eiri glared at the woman who stared up at him and asked, "Are you this 'Yuki' she called for?"

Deciding she wasn't worth answering, he debated the tabloid responses that would crop up if he were caught on film carrying the smaller man into the restaurant. Though the world knew and accepted their relationship, it didn't make him amiable to further trash being printed. The woman was done being ignored, however. She stood and tried once more to get him to answer her. "Hello!? Are you Yuki or not!? Why're you staring at us if you're not!?"

Eiri was about to finally tell her what he really thought, granting her some well-rounded acerbic quip, when Shuichi groaned and moved his hand to clutch at his head. The singer opened his eyes, staring up at the crowd for a moment before locking onto Eiri standing above him. Faint honey flecks danced in the amethyst depths for a moment before they disappeared. Thinking he was imagining things, something that wouldn't be a first in the past few days, Eiri nudged Shuichi with the toe of his shoe, grunting, "Time to get up now, brat." It earned another irate look from the woman who was still next to Shuichi, giving Eiri suspicious glances.

"Do you need medical attention?" she asked, helping Shuichi to sit up and ignoring the handsome blonde who couldn't even be decent enough to help someone he clearly knew. Why were the pretty ones always such assholes?

"N-no! I'm okay, thanks!" Shuichi replied, having seen the look in Eiri's eyes. It meant his lover was very close to snapping and he wanted to spare the poor woman the novelist's wrath. "Food will help!" he promised, getting up and flexing his fingers for a moment, staring at them distractedly. "That feels so weird, not like the other…"

Giving them all a last irritated frown, Eiri turned and stalked back inside. The twenty minutes were almost up.

Kitazawa watched Eiri walking away from him, and his lips curved up into a coy smile, which thoroughly unnerved the woman. She glanced at him again, not realizing she wasn't talking to the one who's body it was, and nodded. "Well okay, if you're sure. Take care then."

"Yes, thank you for everything. Take care." Kitazawa replied, weighing his options. He knew that the more hyper the kid was, the more Eiri would hide in his study and consider things back to normal. If Shuichi kept acting weird, Eiri would become overly concerned and then the novelist would NEVER leave him alone. He needed the time to set up his plan and practice being Shuichi. Deciding to bide his time and get acquainted with the new body, Kitazawa sunk himself into the subconscious part of Shuichi's mind where he'd learn a lot about him, taking the hang-over with him as he woke the brat up.

Blinking a few times as if to clear his vision, Shuichi stretched and bounced after Eiri, calling, "Yuki! Yuki, wait for me! Can I have strawberry pancakes? With whipped cream??"

Already at the table, Eiri glanced up from the menu to eye the now-sparkly singer, and gave him an odd look. "I thought you didn't want food."

"I'm feeling loads better!" Shuichi chirped, giggling and bouncy as always the day after he'd had any physical contact with Eiri.

"Guess falling over knocked something loose in what constitutes your brain." Eiri muttered into his menu. Smiling handsomely to the waitress, he ordered his usual breakfast, western style, before sighing as the now-genki pop-star ordered a concoction with enough sugar in it to make the kid fly home. A small part of him began wishing Shuichi had retained his hang-over, conveniently ignoring the fact that his koi's earlier mood had unnerved him. How and why Shuichi suddenly turned on the fairy lights was a subject best left until after breakfast. It was giving him a headache just thinking about it.

While they waited for their food to arrive, Eiri decided that they could manage their now-usual meal routine. It'd taken them a year to hash it out, but they'd managed to figure out a way to have more than one meal in relative peace. Sometime during the meal, Eiri would ask up to three questions, which had to be carefully thought out and not tossed at random. Shuichi would then answer just those questions and be content with that, foregoing the random babbling (which could extend to epic length proportions) that he'd been prone to doing in the past. Thus alleviating the writer's constant need to throttle his lover to get him to shut up.

The sooner the questions were asked, the sooner Eiri'd be able to eat in peace. Pouring each of them a cup of tee and handing one to Shuichi, which caused the bubblegum boy to squirm happily (was that a fucking TAIL!?), Eiri thought out his first question. It had to be relevant to 'Events Pertaining to Shuichi' in an 'Attempt to Know Your Lover'. Or some shit like that. Fine. Whatever. Che.

"Did Tatsuha do anything to you in the bath?" Might as well start there, since he actually cared about that topic.

Laughing nervously for a moment, Shuichi shook his head, then paused. "Ie, Yuki. He didn't really…. Well, okay. He tried to scrub my back, but he put the washcloth on my ass. Then he tried to play with me, starting to teach me a song called 'Rubber Ducky' and squeezing my …." He paused, cheeks flaming, as he realized he'd caught the attention of several other customers and the waitress who'd returned with their food. "Um.. when I shouted I wasn't a bath toy, he left me alone."

An unreadable expression in his eyes, Eiri grunted as he accepted his food. Time to talk with his brother again. Knowing Tatsuha though, he'd probably reply, 'But you only told me not to pretend that he was Sakuma-san!' or some other bullshit that was prone to pissing him off.

One down, one to go. Not to mention dealing with all of the calls that Mizuki had been leaving at his house phone and cell, since his deadline was in a week. Wonderful. This was going to be a fun day, he could tell already. Hopefully it'd be better than yesterday had been.

One could hope.

TBC


	18. … K, Now What? Part A

Disclaimer: Nobody in the Gravitation universe belongs to me. I claim no kinship whatsoever and sing Maki Murakami's praises. The only thing I'm getting out of writing these is sick sadistic pleasure out of making the character's lives even more difficult.

Ghost Monk

By: Zemia

A/N: Thank you very much for the compliments. Though I tell people it's not necessary to review for me to update stories, they really do make my day.

Xedra

Scary? Well… depends on your definition of 'scary'. Heh. Not this chapter, unfortunately, since I was tired of the bitching from the female of the group. Unless you're scared of Mika and K, which is not an altogether unreasonable thing. They're psychotic. Thank you very much, Eiri's the easiest one for me to write, honestly, since he himself is so brutally honest while retaining a snarky bastard pride. Heh. Kitazawa is much harder, since we don't know too much about him aside from the tidbits we'd been tossed. As for Shu handling it…. Hmm…. Well…. I DO have some of that written, but the story from here out is chopped tidbits I have to weave into a coherent story. So … it has to wait it's turn.

Ashen Phoenix

I'd love to know too! Kitazawa won't tell me. Perhaps some time in Dungeon Keeper 2's torture chamber will do him some good. Mwahahaha. Mmm… well, I cannot deny the fact that some part of him wants an experience with Eiri, however…. We'll see just how that works out. Remember in chapter 17, it was noted that Eiri's deadline is in a week. And I've got a nasty little surprise in store for Kitazawa that will keep him busy as well.

, Good luck on the job hunting!

meandsesshy

And I'd love to write faster than I can! lol However, things haven't worked out for me so well so far in that department. Hopefully soon I'll find some breathing room and re-weave the snippets I've got (which is like four pages worth) into something resembling a story. , While you're waiting, in my hunts in the past, there's plenty of great stories on that I've enjoyed as well!

Mi Querida

Um, no sweety. Kitazawa possessed SHUICHI. Well, like me, IRL tends to run away from writing / reading time. It's ok. Megamix… meg….. that uber-graphic one where I really didn't need to see the inside of a rectum but LOVE Eiri's expressions? Lmao, I've started coloring some of them. Hmm, maybe I should put online all of the Gravi coloring works I've done that colorizes the black and white images. , …. Maybe.

O,O at the idea of Kita whacking Shu's body off. , ….. , ….. 9, 9 … hmm. Interesting concept. I'll have to give it some tho-OW! Dammit Shu, it was just an idea!!

Vindalootoo

Kitazawa really needs to be taught a lesson. Yah. The question is… how. Still pondering!

LOL yeah, it just came out in one shot, that whole Shu's bath experience thing. And it was so typical Shu, that I'm glad it worked out well. I had a lot of fun with that. Eiri was all "OY, you're giving the fucking brat SUGAR!" in my head.

_**Chapter 18 – …. K, Now What?**_

Their clothes dancing in the gusts of wind, the trio sedately watched an insane blonde, holding an MK-47, hanging out of the open door to a helicopter which was attempting to land in the Shrine's courtyard without killing said lunatic. Mika's eyes narrowed at the antics and she immediately hissed to her husband, "You can't possibly be serious about me getting into that thing, with HIM!?"

Tohma turned to face his wife, a warmer version of his mask-like smile gracing his features, and tilted his head just enough to show his amusement. "You told me to come up with a solution of getting back to Tokyo that wouldn't involve taking eight hours of the day to accomplish."

Feeling her eye tick, again the genetics showing, the sole female Uesugi growled, "When I said that, I didn't mean THAT!" A perfectly manicured finger pointed to K, who'd by this point hopped out of the helicopter while it was still ten feet off of the ground and heading their way.

"Well, put it this way, what choice do we have?" Tatsuha countered, shouldering his backpack and immediately starting to head for the free ride. He felt himself jerk backwards and nearly choked from the strap before pulling it away from his neck. "Hey, you could've strangled me!"

"Wouldn't you be so lucky. You're not getting off that easy." Mika countered, continuing to hold onto the strap and tightening her grip before Tatsuha could squirm away. "Where do you think _you're_ going?"

"I would think that would be obvious. Let's see." Tatsuha glanced down at himself, patting around his possessions with his free hand, the other still making sure fratricide remained only a fleeting possibility. "I'm dressed, have a backpack full of supplies, and am heading for the helicopter. Tokyo!"

If her mood could get any worse, there would've been either flames or ice engulfing Tatsuha at the moment. Apparently she was still miffed about his entire attitude the previous day, starting with his answering the phone and ending when he took Shuichi's side against her. "Oh no you're not, you're -- "

"HALLO! Good morning!" K shouted in English, while standing right next to them. He planted a heavy hand on Tatsuha's shoulder and beamed at the married pair while his gun was pointed upwards at the ceiling. One never aimed a gun at a Seguchi unless they were sure they wouldn't miss and that said victim would never get up again. "Tokyo Express ready to go. So…. LET'S GO!" Yanking Tatsuha out of Mika's grasp, he turned and frog-marched him back towards the helicopter. "Time's a-wasting, folks!" he called over his shoulder as he not-so-gently 'helped' the kid into the chopper.

Mika stared wide-eyed at the man who had single-handedly stalled her goal of keeping her brother where he wouldn't get into trouble. Then she turned to glare at Tohma over her shoulder as she followed behind K and Tatsuha. "WHY do you keep him employed?!"

Tohma's smile widened as he followed after the three of them, ignoring the weird feeling he was getting at his back from the Shrine. Maybe Uesugi-san was doing weird prayers for him again, it wouldn't surprise him. Climbing into the main compartment, he answered with, "He's good at his job, and he amuses me."

"Come, Seguchi-sama! Seat yourself down here, so that we can get you all safely back to Tokyo in one piece." K shouted to Mika in the usual way he dealt with Bad Luck when they were dragging their asses. Fists planted on his hips, he quipped, "Well, we hope, anyway! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"I'll give you some amusement." Mika grumbled under her breath as she climbed into the helicopter last, her words loaded with the impression that the only one who'd be amused by whatever she devised would be herself. A moment, maybe two, passed before her shout was heard throughout the Shrine's lands, "TATSUHA, GET YOUR FUCKING ASS OUT OF THAT PILOT'S SEAT BEFORE I SHOW YOU WHAT CHUTELESS SKYDIVING IS LIKE!"

When they reached Tokyo just over an hour later, Mika was the first one out of the helicopter, nearly recreating K's earlier scene and hopping out before it had satisfactorily landed safely. Ignoring the calls behind her and placing the dealing of them on her mental back-burner, she bolted for the roof's door and down the stairs, heading for her office so that she could begin the arduous process of tracking down a man who'd made an art form of 'Hide'n Seek'.

"Tell me again why you married her?" Tatsuha asked his brother-in-law as he headed for the door with both Tohma and K beside him. He'd had enough of living with her to last a lifetime, he couldn't imagine having to do it willingly.

Tohma's smile was back, this time with a partial chuckle. "Now if I told you that, I would have to have you killed."

Not liking the look in Tohma's eyes as he'd said it, Tatsuha shivered as he took a peek to his other side at K. The tall American merely laughed his ass off, simultaneously patting the youngster's head and the gun he hadn't yet let go of. Daring close his eyes for a moment, his last thought before entering the world of the inner workings of N-G was, _'Maybe I was better off staying at home with dad and the ghosts I can't see than enter the demons' lair willingly.'_

The only thing keeping him going forward, well ok, two things, was his promise to Eiri to show up the next day and K's firm grip which hadn't released him. He hoped he survived until the next day, since he'd never spent an entire day with Tohma and his sister before and didn't know exactly what to expect. Hopefully, K would find something else to occupy his time.

One could hope.

TBC


	19. … K, Now What? Part B

Disclaimer: Nobody in the Gravitation universe belongs to me. I claim no kinship whatsoever and sing Maki Murakami's praises. The only thing I'm getting out of writing these is sick sadistic pleasure out of making the character's lives even more difficult.

Ghost Monk

By: Zemia

A/N: Since I was in such a rush to get it updated last night (when I wrote chapter 18 at about 1am) I hadn't had time to type the last bit of it out. So it's here as a "Part B" for you, which, when combined together makes Chapter 18 more decent in length.

_**Chapter 18 – …. K, Now What? (Part B)**_

Facing the large plate glass windows, Tohma simultaneously watched the bustling city below him and the man behind him using the convenient reflections that the window made. K sat happily polishing one of his 'babies' while waiting for his boss to finish his 'reflecting' as he called it. Having already interrogated Tatsuha, bribing him with backstage passes to both Nittle Grasper and Bad Luck concerts as well as a bit of blackmail regarding keeping information confidential, Tohma knew exactly what had transpired at the Shrine before his arrival.

For all of their fierce protection of each other, it was all too easy to manipulate the Uesugi children into ratting each other of their secrets.

Eiri's unusual behavior warranted close attention, in case it was necessary to hospitalize him again. Though it hadn't been a pleasant experience the first time around, and he would regret it if it had to happen again, it had to remain a viable option.

The bit of news that bothered him most, however, was that Kitazawa had been mentioned. Not once, but several times. This, he would have to tackle carefully. Without turning, he called, "K."

K immediately looked up at Tohma, grinning wolfishly. Now the fun could begin. "Yes, Chief! What do you want done this time? Bombs, Heavy artillery? Weapons of mass destruction?" He sighed dreamily as he momentarily imagined himself riding a tank and laughing maniacally as it decimated half of Tokyo.

"It's extremely important that my dear brother-in-law not find out, so not this time." Ignoring the visible wilting of the natural blonde, the N-G president continued, "Tell me…. Shindou-san had spent the night prior to Eiri-san's birthday at Nakano-san's, did he not?"

Raising his eyes skyward, K holstered his gun in a show of complete seriousness, then finally nodded. "That's right. Why? What's Yuki-san done THIS time?" He continuously worried that Eiri's behavior would have an adverse affect on Shuichi's career, which it HAD done in the past. With the singer's growing maturity, it'd been happening less frequently, though, but still needed close monitoring.

A coy smile on his lips, Tohma crossed his arms and asked, almost innocently, "Do you still have those cameras set up?" It was a reference to the knowledge that K's constant surveillance on his charge (and said charge's disturbance), included taping of N-G's and Yuki's house.

"Of course! I always set them up as soon as a new lease is signed, before they move in. It's standard procedure."

"Good. I want all of the tapes for all rooms for the night Shindou-san was at Nakano-san's, as Eiri-san's birthday arrived." Tohma unfolded his arms and sat at his desk, beginning to rifle through some of the piled papers on the surface. "bring them here to me within an hour."

_Why would he want tapes of a night when Yuki-san was alone? Unless…. He wasn't…. Hmm…_ Knowing that the discussion was over for the moment, K rose and saluted his boss. "As you command! I will hijack the security detail and torture them until they have divulged the requested information!" Without bothering to check for Tohma's reaction, he disappeared out of the secret exit so that no-one would realize he'd left the President's office.

In this new N-G building, which he'd had a firm hand in designing, he'd procured a spiderweb network of hidden passageways and nooks that he used to get places quickly. It also helped him sneak up on people to catch them doing nefarious (or at least in his mind) dealings. Only Ryuichi knew them almost as well as he did, which was sort of scary in itself.

Fortunately, the flaky popstar-turned-actor didn't know of the many hidden caches of 'emergency materials'. He didn't even want to know what would happen then. Kumagorou could set off a bomb or something by accident. K shuddered at the thought as he opened the door to the hallway that would lead to the security room.

Watching K leave, Tohma smiled to himself as he attempted to get as much work done as he possibly could before Mika stormed in on him. He knew she would, since she wouldn't have much luck in tracking down Eiri. The man had had a clear head-start and time to have holed up somewhere, with or without Shindou-san. A petite frown marring his brow at the image THAT raised, the president of N-G Records debated a long vacation.

TBC


	20. Strawberry Fun

Disclaimer: Nobody in the Gravitation universe belongs to me. I claim no kinship whatsoever and sing Maki Murakami's praises. The only thing I'm getting out of writing these is sick sadistic pleasure out of making the character's lives even more difficult.

Ghost Monk

By: Zemia

A/N: Man, there's nothing that spells "W-R-I-T-E-R'S B-L-O-C-K" like three root canals and the subsequent weeks of never-ending pain and advil. clutches Advil Lovely advil... drools And things to distract from pain like roleplaying (been concentrating on Harry Potter as I've gotten all "MEH" about Gravitation lately. o,o; maybe that didn't help the will to write either. hnn. And Gaia Online. I've gotten hooked on Gaia Online. And StarCraft. o,o; >, > ... SIGH.   
Ashen Phoenix - laughs at your comments Tohma is definitely fun and twisted and there's just something about him lol. I'm still nervous writing him though, he and I haven't quite found a groove yet. It's August, did you get that job?   
meandsesshy - It's all about Eiri in this one actually. But tho he's the main character of this story, the other characters are going to have intricate parts to play as well, so it's not always gonna have Eiri in the chapter. That's life. Can't have a main character who has no supporting cast. He was only gone for one chapter. lol.   
Xedra - laughs yeah, he loves his tank. O,o; at the idea of Tohma falling out of the helicopter. "If anything, Mika pushed him!" noddies

_**Chapter 19 – Strawberry Fun**_

After having been talked into 'the long way home' by a suddenly adventuresome, and thereby annoying, lover, Eiri had put his foot down after the fourth hour. Despite protests of 'just one more ', the now-grumpy (though nothing new there) novelist drove them home at record speeds. Meaning, of course, that the needle was pointing to a spot on the speedometer where the car manufacturers had neglected to add numbers. Which had the added bonus of freaking out Shuichi, not to mention Kitazawa, causing no end to their panic.

Kitazawa tried to recall any and all stories that he could think of regarding cases of what might happen if a host died while being possessed. Would he be trapped forever with the uber-genki brat!? Or merge somehow, where they'd lose both singular identities? With Shuichi that panicked, there was no possibility that he could take control of the boy and demand that Eiri slow down. Something else warned him that it might be dangerous to try.

As they hit Tokyo proper and traffic began to build, Eiri was forced to slow down marginally, still going about seventy in a forty-five speed zone, expertly weaving through the sedately moving vehicles. Even if a cop gave him a ticket, it would go to Seguchi anyway and he would deal with it then.

Finally, they reached home. Eiri shut the engine off and got out as Shuichi practically oozed from his side onto the paved driveway, clearly hugging soiled land that only moved during earthquakes. Heading up the walk to the front door, the novelist paused to glance over his shoulder at Shuichi, rolling his eyes. It seemed that the drama-queen mode was back in full force again. "What the hell are you doing, brat?"

"All but kissing the ground! And no, it's not the part you walk on!" Shuichi retorted, smiling up at his lover when the blonde snorted derisively. "Something inside just HAD to do it after that nasty car ride."

"Wouldn't happen to be your Stupidity Meter needing to fill its daily quota, would it? I don't HAVE to drive you, you know." Eiri asked, turning the lock in the door. If Shuichi wasn't behind him in two seconds, it wouldn't be HIS fault the brat was locked out, now would it?

"Hah hah. Very funny." Shuichi growled playfully as he followed Eiri into the house before his lover got the idea to lock him out. Which he'd probably already had. "You should put some of these witty comments into one of your novels." He went to the fridge, peering inside and frowning. Tohma had taken everything he'd brought for the 'romantic party'. But, he managed to find a piece of cake he'd hidden earlier that day. Since it was only two days old, and the fridge hadn't been opened more than twice for a few seconds each, it was still perfectly good. "I'm sure they'd be best-sellers as women from all over flock to read 'Words from the REAL Yuki Eiri'."

Eiri turned to stare at Shuichi, frowning now over the fact that, the longer they were together, the more like HIM Shuichi was beginning to sound. There was a thin line between 'maturity' and 'sarcastic bastard', one in which he hadn't wanted the singer to become. It was one thing to be in fighting form to hold his own against Mika, it was quite another for Shuichi to turn said behavior onto HIM! Not just because then there'd be two of them living in the same household, which would be a dangerous and volatile combination, either. But because he never wanted Shuichi to lose that intense spark, the love of life and most things in it that kept him smiling.

Well shit, THAT annoyed him no end to admit, and was enough to make him use a threat he hadn't needed in awhile, "Don't make me break up with you just so you stop turning into me!" Then his eyes fell to Shuichi's hands, where the cake was being breathed upon in order to soften it.

Shuichi's lips were curved at the corners, indicating he'd heard Eiri's threat, but his eyes were heavy-lidded as his lips parted so that he could softly exhale upon the cake. He'd heard such threats before, and they no longer bothered him.

Swallowing past the sudden lump in his throat, Eiri completely forgot about the idea of locking himself into his study and working for hours. Gold eyes warming to honey, as other parts of him warmed up, all he could think about was the double-vision of strawberry goodness before him. Taking a few steps towards Shuichi, he all but growled, "Better be sharing that…"

Shuichi had learned, albeit late and painfully, that the best way to deal with such threats was to make Eiri regret, or forget, saying it, rather than crying and pleading pathetically. _That_ method had never failed to do more than piss Eiri off and send him firmly into his stubborn bastard mode. His gaze slid sidelong towards his blonde mate in that sex-kitten glance which caused Eiri's groin to tighten painfully. In a silken purr he knew was thoroughly effective, he asked, "What was that about breaking up with me?" Bringing the cake closer to his face, violet eyes still locked onto gold, the tip of his tongue slowly licked a trail of frosting from it and retreated into his mouth.

_By all the Kamis, that's fucking hot!_ If Shuichi ever did that on stage, Eiri was sure that all of the screaming fan girls would wet themselves then and there. "I forget." Nearly growling under his breath, he closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around his impish kitten, claiming the sugar-coated lips.

Immediately melting into the kiss, Shuichi put the cake down on the counter before he dropped it. They'd get to it soon enough.

Inside Shuichi's head, Kitazawa was thoroughly impressed with how well Shuichi had learned to manage Eiri and his pendulum mood-swings. He was also taking thorough notes for when he'd need to do such things as naturally as Shuichi himself did. It wouldn't do to jump in blind, they'd catch on immediately to his presence. Which led to another thing. Why hadn't Eiri thought to look for him when he knew that out of Uesugi Shrine, they were fair game?

Peeking out and seeing the ceiling etched with the outline of golden bangs through half-lidded eyes, as well as hearing soft noises and giggles, he had a definite idea as to how distracted his little ex-pupil really was at the moment. Now, if only there was such a thing as spectral popcorn, it would've been a perfect experience. He just hoped they remembered to bleach the table afterwards and that it was strong enough to support their weight.

Riding shotgun, especially in pleasure, was more than an interesting experience and a great way to begin tampering with the obdy. Since Shuichi was so distracted, it was quite easy to tweak a thing here and a little more there to get his 'home' just how he liked it. The nervous system first. The ex-tutor rocked back as he was nearly drowned by the deluge of energy and wanton need coursing through the young man's body, causing him to quiver himself.

_Damn, that felt good. How the hell can Shuichi FEEL that much on a regular basis and not explode?!_ He'd never get anything done that way. Dampening his acess to Shuichi's pulsing rhythm, Kitazawa sat back and enjoyed everything that Eiri did to his little lover. He had to admit, all the practice that his ex-student had done had certainly paid off.

Shuichi cried out again as he felt Eiri enter him, arching up from the table to meet his lover halfway, begging to be taken.One hand gripped the edge while the other had reached down to trail lazy fingers down the finely sculpted chest.

Eiri grunted as Shuichi found a particularly sensitive spot, shifting his weight as he stood almost against the table. His own hands splayed across Shuichi's hips, holding him in place, the golden gaze raked over the prone boy before him. Boy, though, wasn't quite accurate anymore. Still thoroughly feminine in appearance, Shuichi had filled out some in the past two years. The novelist would never call him anything more than girly, but at least he wasn't waif-thin anymore.

Darkly pink hair spread out across the table's surface, nearly matching the color of its owner's cheeks, rosy from lust. His chest rose and fell as he panted, the mewling sounds making Eiri's blood even hotter, until he wanted his kitten crying out loud enough to wake the annoying neighbors next door. _Damn people needed to get the pikes out of their asses anyway, the way they went on and on about religion and marriage. It was like fucking living back home._ Slowly, he withdrew, only to bury himself once again in the warm pleasurable heat that his lover willingly offered.

Shuichi squirmed deliciously, shivering from the familiar ache and fullness of Eiri pushing himself farther into his body. Wrapping his legs around his lover's hips, he forced an even closer contact, his heart singing when he heard Eiri's responding hiss. A soft giggle evolved into a moan as the next hard thrust echoed his motion.

Pausing to force himself to hold still, Eiri bent from the waist, causing his erection to encourage pressure on Shuichi's prostate, which made the younger man gasp and emit a keening noise that caused his ears to ache. He really had to talk to his pest about that note, if it were slightly louder, he was sure that glass would shatter. His movements had the desired effect, as his tongue trailed along the weeping slit of Shuichi's member. A moment later, he wrapped his lips around the head, bit by bit taking him into his mouth, undulating his tongue as he went.

"Omygod! Yu… Yu…" Shuichi began, the white rose of pleasure blooming through his body from the contact. Within, if Kitazawa had had a penis himself, it would've caused him to come then and there. GOD! Eiri had gotten MUCH better! And they were still going!

The amber eyes shifted closer to clear gold as Eiri slowly released his hold on the shivering mass of jell-o beneath him. Something deep within snapped at hearing his pen name still sounding from Shuichi's lips. They'd been lovers for two damn years, and he was still calling him by that damned name, a fake LAST name, even while they were having sex. Enough was enough. "Say it right or I stop. I've been putting up with the shit of you calling me that for two years already. Enough!"

Violet eyes snapped open, locking onto the angry ones above him. He HAD been calling him that all this time, but why would Eiri pick NOW to be all bitchy about it? Then again, he'd been acting weird about his name even at the Shrine, making him correct his greeting. It had something to do with Kitazawa, but it wasn't the same, not like last time when Shuichi had been fighting the dead man for his lover's affections. He knew from experience that Eiri was more than capable of stopping and leaving him high and dry to get himself off and he didn't want that to happen, especially with Eiri acting so weird. So he played the submissive card to the hilt. "I'm.. I'm sorry E… Eiri. You're right, it's rude of me to…" Distracted by the throbbing Eiri was forcing into his body by nudging just slightly, he could only manage to stammer, "to call you … by .. by your last… AH!"

Having heard enough, Eiri had leaned down and resumed his attentions to Shuichi's aching member. Tongue wandering a lazy trail, he gently licked every inch of the soft flesh, his chin rubbing up against the shifting sac beneath. While doing that, he'd figured out a way to continue nudging his hips in a very slow rhythm, more to save his back than anything, but it had the added bonus of shattering what was left of his pop star's sanity.

Hands curving into claws, Shuichi's fingers weaved their way through the silky blond strands as he arched against his lover one last time, exploding into the waiting mouth with a soft cry. "Eiri!"

Grunting, Eiri swallowed Shuichi's offering without much effort and released him immediately afterwards, thrusting into him a few more times. Feeling his own cock twitching, he thrust a final time against Shuichi's prostate, causing the singer to cry out and climax once more, as he felt his own seed flood into his body for the second time that day. Tatsuha had been right, Shuichi's endurance had increased with him as his lover. But then, it was either get used to it and put out more, or be abandoned for a string of one-nighters. There wasn't much of an option there. Knowing that it would be uncomfortable in a moment to remain on the table, he pulled out and grabbed some paper towels, holding a few out to Shuichi as the younger man slid from the surface.

"Thanks." Smiling crookedly, Shuichi took the towels and made quick use of them and then glancing at the cake still sitting on the counter, giggling like mad. "Guess we forgot about the cake, huh, Y…er… Eiri?" He would play Eiri's game for now, until he was forced to stop calling him that name again. Kitazawa thought it was quite convenient, since he was used to calling the boy 'Eiri' anyway. It would make his ruse so much easier without having to call him by his own name.

Pulling his shirt off so that he could have a shower, Eiri glanced at the cake and snatched it up on his way towards the bedrooms. Shuichi glared at him, tossing the towels into the waste basket. "HEY! What happened to sharing!?"

Chuckling through his nose, Eiri scooped off the tip of the cake, granted it was a decent size considering, and held it out for Shuichi. "Here."

Glaring at his bitchy selfish lover, Shuichi opened his mouth and took the offering, knowing it was 'take it or leave it' and he was going to lose out on the rest anyway. "Bastard." he muttered as he chewed.

Flashing one of those sexy little smirks, Eiri left a quivery Shuichi in his wake, heading towards the bathrooms and tossing over his shoulder, "Keep the noise down punk, I have to work."

Rolling his eyes, Shuichi let Eiri leave, knowing it was better, and safer, that way. Bitching the entire time, he used the time he waited for his turn in the shower neatening up and bleaching the table. Honestly, why he even bothered trying to hang around the week before a deadline, he must be out of his mind.

TBC


	21. Trouble in Paradise

Disclaimer: Nobody in the Gravitation universe belongs to me. I claim no kinship whatsoever and sing Maki Murakami's praises. The only thing I'm getting out of writing these is sick sadistic pleasure out of making the character's lives even more difficult.

Ghost Monk

By: Zemia

A/N: Omg, it's been way too long since I've written anything at all. I'm sorry to all of the loyal readers (If I still have any) for that. But the first thing I wrote when I did get to sit down again was Ghost Monk! hehe. After all the root canals and whatnot, I was stuck working in the daughter's elementery school being PTA Treasurer AND a Learning Leader (parent volunteer) all day every day. Then had to take care of kid. Overstress Muses Take Vacation. But! I refused to do PTA again, and now I've got my time (mostly) to myself again. So I hope to be writing more often. Thank you all! P.S. note, this is probably a slower chapter, really it's a continuation of the previous chapter. But it sets up some action for later. hehe.

**Chapter 20 – Trouble in Paradise**

Half an hour later, the sound of soft slippers drifted through the house as Eiri made his way from the bathroom to his study. He toweled his hair dry as he went, a cigarette already dangling from his mouth despite the shower having stopped only moments before. Wisps of misty smoke drifted around him then trailed behind as he made his way into the room. The tell-tale squeak of a computer chair and the sound of tapping keys emerged from the study, making it clear that the surly author had gone back to work, intent on ignoring the singer completely.

The pink-haired man, having been abandoned into cleaning up the kitchen table, had done so with a lot of dark muttering. He was now miserably curled in the blanket on the couch and cursing the blonde for his condition. "Four fucking times! I know that the cake thing turned him on, but it's not like he was hard up for it! He'd just had the twerp Kami knows how many times at the shrine while I was stuck outside!"

Finally pulling his head from under the couch pillow, Kitazawa listened as Eiri made his way into the study. Good! That meant he could take a shower too, now that his plaything was finished. As much as Eiri smelled nice, he didn't want to get stuck with his novelist's twisted fantasies, ones he probably helped instigate. He needed Shuichi's body functional!

Moving proved to be a big mistake if the way his ass was sending him messages of being a giant dumbass for trying was any indication. Setting his jaw in firm stubbornness, Kitazawa forced himself up and immediately pulled the blanket off of the couch, nose wrinkling at the already rank-smelling fabric, as he brought it into the laundry room, he dumped it into the washer along with the other clothes that were beginning to pile up and the current bedsheets, having replaced them during his cleanup. It made more sense for him to do it now, rather than when he was clean, as well as making sure Eiri didn't catch him too soon.

Currently, the ex-tutor held the advantage of stealth. Once he turned that shower on, he had to be extremely careful to avoid detection. The work was boring and tedious to be sure, but it allowed his neat-freak tendencies some leeway, as well as helped him to familiarize himself with the natural rhythms of Shuichi's body. Task done, Kitazawa snuck his way into the bathroom, turning on the shower hot enough to fog the mirrors within moments, something that Shuichi almost never did, unless he was thoroughly stressed.

At the sound of the shower, the typing had paused then resumed a moment later, almost as if Eiri was making sure where his koi was and what he was up to. No doubt there had been a moment of mental cursing over the fact that he'd kept his study door open, almost an open invitation for genki pouncing. Kitazawa smirked at that idea, half tempted to do just that, if only to annoy the fuck out of his ex-student.

Common sense won and he stepped into the shower, closing his eyes and tilting his head back, slender fingers stroking through the strands of pink hair with a sigh of pleasure. After a few moments, he stepped forward and reached for the shampoo, eyes widening as he stared at the bright pink bottle of shampoo which could only be Shuichi's. "You've got to be kidding. I should've taken over _after_ the kid had taken a shower..."

Forcing himself to pick it up, he took a whiff of it, unable to suppress the shudder resulting from the sickly sweet fragrance of imitation strawberry as he poured some into his open palm. Putting the bottle back onto the shelf, he mentally resigned himself to his fate: smelling as if he'd spent the past four hours in a store that could only be the bastardized child of Bath and Body Works breeding with Sanrio.

Once his hair was clean, albeit _pretty smelling,_ the ex-tutor set about washing his body, going at it much slower than he'd done with his hair. Feeling every contour, curve of muscle and patch of skin, he finally realized what Eiri found so fascinating in touching the singer so much. His fingers hit a particularly sensitive spot and he gasped at the reaction his body produced. Waves of tingles shot through him, originating at the point of contact and ending there once more, causing him to moan involuntarily.

Deep within his mind, he could feel a stirring, a token mote of protest from the body's true inhabitant. Quickly suppressing it, unable to cope with the amount of feeling Shuichi could produce, Kitazawa proceeded to clean himself rapidly, done within the next few minutes. Drying took even less time and he scurried to the bed, not even bothering to find something to wear.

Within moments of closing his eyes, Kitazawa released his tight control of Shuichi's body, sinking into the subconscious for awhile, which allowed him to fall into a deep sleep.

Two hours after that, Eiri finally saved the file he'd been working on then, making sure the laptop was password-protected, changed the code again just in case Tohma or Shuichi got any bright ideas to try hacking it again. This time he'd chosen a password taken out of an obscure Brazilian dialect, having looked up several words out of an online dictionary for the sole purpose of passwords. He'd used a computer at a net-cafe near Tokyo University, which was the perfect spot to do so, since it ensured his brother-in-law couldn't track down his surfing habits and figure it out.

Closing the laptop and locking it in the desk drawer, another quirk he'd picked up since Shuichi and Tatsuha had started trying to use it, Eiri finally stood, allowing himself an almost indecent stretch. Realistically, Shuichi could've gotten himself a dozen laptops for himself, and a dozen more for Tatsuha without his bank account breaking a sweat. It was the thrill of trying to piss him off that kept them going. Too bad it didn't work. Running his fingers through his bangs, Eiri snuffed out the stub of his cigarette and shuffled out of the office, tossing the empty beer can into the wastebasket to join the multitude of its brethren.

"The brat's been too quiet, better make sure he hasn't fucked up anything yet." he muttered to himself, giving a cursory check of the living room and kitchen areas before heading towards the bedroom. "That little punk better not be sick. If he gives me whatever he's got, I'll fucking kill him."

Pausing at the doorway, Eiri leaned his forearm on the pale frame, staring at the lump comfortably curled in his BEST silken sheets. The brat had picked his BEST sheets to cuddle in and part of him bristled at the innocent intrusion. He'd gotten more female ass on those sheets than he could remember and it bothered him that it was SHUICHI now laying on them. No panting, no begging for him, nothing but a young man tucked up like a child, trusting Eiri to behave himself, as the novelist stared at the glimpse of Shuichi's face he could see between blanket and bangs.

"Fuck." Eiri finally hissed through his teeth, turning from the sight and taking solace in doing something mundane as putting his watch and wallet on the dresser. He'd be DAMNED if he'd be chased from his own bed. _'Again'_, flickered through his mind for a moment, before being cruelly squashed. Another thought occurred to him as his shirt slid from his torso, revealing a smooth expanse of his back, to dangle limply in his fingers. _Where was that damned ghost?_ Shaking his head to clear it, Eiri changed his clothes, muttering, "The farther away he is, the happier I'll be."

Tossing the clothes into the hamper, he slid into bed next to Shuichi, shoving the lump from the center of the bed to his own side. Over the years, Shuichi had finally managed to claim a six-inch sliver of the bed as his own. Most of the time, Eiri would neglect the fact that Shuichi would always wind up having taken more room by morning. Shuichi made a soft noise in his throat, turning over to immediately cuddle up to Eiri like a kitten, tucking his nose under the arch of jaw under his ear.

With a long drawn-out sigh, Eiri knew it was going to be a long night, but tried closing his eyes anyway. More tired than he realized, he was asleep in moments, oblivious to the faint smirk tilting one corner of Shuichi's lips upwards.

As night fell, the twinkling lights of the city reflected off of the many windows at N-G Records. Yet a figure was still there, despite several irate phone calls from Mika, all having to do with a night spent searching in futile effort for her wayward brother. Tohma Seguchi sat at his desk, hand curved around his pouting mouth while the other patiently pressed several buttons on the remote it held. Another press of a button, and the tape began to play again, showing all of Eiri's movements as he was alone in the room.

_Turning towards the clock, Eiri had frowned then moved sideways, and back again, as if he couldn't see the clock. The novelist's eyes had looked up, then widened before he scooted back on the bed, whimpering. Finally, after another moment, the young man had screamed, a shriek of pure terror mingled with a childish nightmare._

A few more things happened after that, including Eiri snuggling up to a bottle of 180 proof scotch whiskey, finishing it off as he muttered to himself and to an empty spot next to him. Then Eiri had passed out for the night.

Skipping forward, the tape then revealed the next morning, when Eiri broke another clock. Tohma chuckled at the image, shaking his head. Once the clock was broken, his eyes had snapped open and slowly raised his head from under the pillow to stare at another empty space, beginning to whimper again. However, it was the dialog that was the most troubling.

"_How are you here!? You're dead! I killed you! I killed…." Tears began to sparkle in Eiri's eyes. "Please, just leave me alone. Haven't you done enough to me?" His voice had cracked._

"_T-This time?" Eiri's eye was beginning to develop a tick._

"_The idea had passed my mind. Frequently. Yes." Eiri grumbled. _

"_STOP IT!" shouted Eiri. He pulled himself off of the floor and, barely leaving time to grab his essentials, he tugged his overcoat on over the pajamas and all but bolted for the car._

The blue-green eyes narrowed as they tracked Eiri's movements, cold and calculating. They missed nothing and what they saw upset him greatly. He sank further into the part of himself which he hid behind the smile. The more cheerful the smile, the more dangerous he became. He didn't like the idea, but it was time for another 'appointment' with the psychiatrist. Perhaps there was even time for a few days of 'rest'.

K sat in the chair across the desk from Tohma, studying the president instead of the tapes, having seen them before bringing them to his boss's office. For all of his gruff bravado and daredevil stunts, there was only one thing he was afraid of, and it had just appeared on Seguchi's lips. The sight of that smile caused him to do whatever it took to get him away from THAT line of fire. A soft noise broke him out of his musings.

"K-san."

"Yes, Tohma?" K responded instantly, keeping himself lazy as he stretched, watching Tohma's full attention get caught.

"I want you to pick up Shindou-san tomorrow morning. Early." Tohma said, that slow smile still in place. "They have a concert in a few days, the boy could use his time most effectively here at N-G." Separating Shuichi and Eiri never ceased to amuse him.

Knowing what Seguchi was up to, K merely nodded, rising from his seat. "I'll do that. If we're going to be busy tomorrow morning, we should get some sleep." He finally gave Tohma a smile of his own, admonishing, "Even the president needs to sleep, especially if said president's going to be novelist hunting."

Tohma stared at K for a moment, shocked and slightly annoyed at the insinuations. Then he let his eyes half-close as he smiled at K in return, that creepy polite smile, rising from his own chair. "By all means." He motioned towards the door with his upturned palm. "After you."

Immediately going into defensive mode, K gave Tohma a suspicious glance at his boss's sudden acquiescence. Keeping half-turned towards Tohma, he nodded and made his way to the door, never giving him an easy opportunity.

Tohma, feeling better now that K was off-balance, merely locked his door after they'd stepped out into the corridor. For a while, he'd thought of not bothering to lock it since Noriko and Ryuichi always managed to pick the lock, but he continued the habit anyway. All the kamis knew that he didn't need Bad Luck wandering into his office uninvited.

Clasping his hands behind his back, aware that the move always made K skittish, he murmured, "6AM early. Good night." He made no move to leave, waiting for his manager to leave first.

K nodded his agreement and finally turned to go, heading off. He was given a job to do, he would see it through.

Turning himself, Tohma made his own way out of the building, avoiding most of the public areas in case there were stragglers. Despite the highly irate wife awaiting his arrival at home, he headed there almost cheerful.

TBC


	22. Wakey, wakey, Eggs'n Bakey

Chapter 16 – Honestly, No More Alcohol For You

Disclaimer: Nobody in the Gravitation universe belongs to me. I claim no kinship whatsoever and sing Maki Murakami's praises. The only thing I'm getting out of writing these is sick sadistic pleasure out of making the character's lives even more difficult.

Ghost Monk

By: Zemia

_**Chapter 21- Wakey, wakey, Eggs'n Bakey**_

Insistent ringing blared through the house early the next morning. The clock next to the bed barely had time to register 5am before a groping hand covered its face, threw it across the room and ensured another entrant into Clock Heaven. Unfortunately for the poor clock the ringing continued, forcing more extreme measures. Within another moment, a thump joined the annoying noise as Shuichi 'conveniently' fell out of bed, followed by Eiri's foot being pulled back under the quilt.

Sleepy eyes opened, the violet misted over as Shuichi realized where he'd landed. Faint irritation flashed in them a moment later as the singer glared at Eiri before heading to the phone. _Ungrateful bastard_. In this state, Shuichi had most of the control though he was quickly lulled back to sleep by the 'voice' in his head. By the time the pink-haired man had reached the phone, it was Kitazawa who pushed the pink strands out of his eyes and used Shuichi's vocal chords, "Mmlo?"

"Hey, Shu. Good morning. What, have a long night again?" Hiro greeted, sounding half asleep himself. In fact, he'd gotten a similar phone call from Suguru Fujisaki, warning them of K's imminent arrival.

"Na.. Hiro?" Kitazawa asked, verifying the voice he'd heard around the apartment every so often as he glanced at the still working clock. "It's five am. What's the matter?" Normally, none of the band members ever dared call that early, so there must be something seriously wrong for them to risk waking up a grumpy asshole. An Eiri Uesugi awoken anytime before noon was asking for trouble.

"You're gonna be picked up early." Hiro yawned as he scratched his stomach, trying to blink the sleep out of his eyes. "Thought you might want a heads up before K demolished your house again."

"What?! Why!?" The ex-tutor demanded, sounding extremely freaked out. He had a wary respect for the fellow American who was allowed to carry more firearms than the national guard. "Wait, how'd you know?"

"Guess Seguchi decided we need the practice for the concert. Fujisaki called from the back of K's transport, he got kidnapped first. I wonder if he's tied up again." The guitarist suggested, before pausing to ask, "Don't tell me you forgot about the concert, Shu? You always get hyped up for them..."

Kitazawa nearly dropped the phone, but managed a weak reply, "H...hai. No, I .. I didn't forget. Okay! Let me get ready." He managed to sound enough like the bubblegum pop star to fool his best friend, at least over the phone. THAT took practice. It was one of the reasons that he was so tired. "See you in a few. Ja!"

After Hiro had hung up, the ghost knew that he only had a few precious minutes before the psychotic bastard showed up. Scrambling around, he searched for clothes and the things he'd need to get ready while mentally cursing Shuichi for the messy state of his closet. Since these occurrences were nothing out of the ordinary as far as daily mornings went, Eiri remained blissfully unaware. As a writer, he was allowed to sleep as late as he wanted and work whenever he wanted, though he usually procrastinated well into the weeks past the deadline, usually having to pay for such tardiness in missed sleep and more beer for his ulcer. Kitazawa spared a moment to toss a single irritated glare at the younger man for his ability to sleep through a crisis. Granted, only he saw it as a crisis, which didn't help his mood any, but that was besides the point!

Now forced into the situation himself, he found it a lot less amusing than when he'd been watching the kid going through it. He couldn't find any since damn thing from boxers to shirts. Kitazawa finally found a stash of clothes of the 'typical _musician_ at concert' persuasion and, after staring at them in horror for a minute, vowed to spend the rest of the night hunting down the regular outfits. He'd find them if it took all damn night! They had to be here somewhere!

"Fucking whore shorts…" the tutor muttered as he tugged on the tight spandex over the slim hips. They fit snugly but they weren't too constricting and he had to admit that they were comfortable enough, considering the fact that they were basically nothing but scraps of cloth that showed off his ass and crotch.

"Mm?" Eiri muttered in response to his bitching, shifting in the bed to shove his pillow over his head. "Shut up, brat. I'm sleeping."

Frustrated, Kitazawa continued to mutter under his breath as he found a vest and jacket to cover it all up. He finished just in time too, apparently, since he felt the cold muzzle of a gun caress his temple a moment later.

K's voice was a soft whisper against his other ear, "Better be ready to go, Shindou-san. I won't hesitate to fire and drag your bloody carcass out to the car." It was no idle threat, the gun-toting manager had done it more times than Shuichi could count. His other 'resident' wasn't so used to it.

Violet eyes widened as the singer's body twitched involuntarily, a hand clasping the part of his chest where he could've sworn a bullet had just ripped through muscle and organs. Gasping for air, he bit back a cry and managed a strangled growl at the blonde American, "What the fuck's wrong with you, waving a gun at people like that?!" It had almost been enough to force him to lose his hold on the young man's body. Almost. He could feel Shuichi shifting in the back of his head, which he quickly lulled back to sleep.

K was giving Shuichi an odd look as a furious novelist jerked up from the blankets. "Shut the fuck up and get the fuck out!" he shouted. A second later, Kitazawa was hit in the face with a pillow.

A master at hiding his emotions, Kitazawa had recovered quickly, picking up the pillow and frowning over at Eiri, irritated even more at the exhibition of selfish behavior. He tossed the pillow back on the bed before stalking out of the house without giving the customary kiss to his author's ear. K kept the gun out as he smiled handsomely at Eiri, waving with his free hand, "We'll see you later, Yuki-san."

"Whatever. Leave. Now." Eiri growled, tossing himself back under a pillow. He'd stayed up most of the night typing out three chapters to make up for the time wasted at the Shrine and was desperate for sleep.

"Caffeine. Try some." Closing the door just in time, K heard another pillow hit the solid object. Chuckling, he followed Shuichi's path to the entryway, where the singer was buckling on the boots that seemed to match the outfit. Watching him put on the special boots, he finally asked, "Are there any problems today that we would need to address before we start work?"

A single twitch under his eye betrayed the stress level of Shuichi's current resident. He asked flippantly, "No. Why should there be?"

Something was _definitely_ up with the singer. No bouncing. No drama queen theatrics. No kiss to Eiri's ear. He was being sedate and collected as he methodically put his things on. Then again, there was that very odd reaction to the gun he'd held to his head, which had never happened before. Shuichi was usually nervous, trying to talk him out of shooting, or joking and laughing it off. But this time he'd reacted as if he'd really gotten shot.

Granted, when he was actually shot, Shuichi would bitch him out but he'd never reacted like it'd never happened before. Then there were the clothes. "Let's make a list, shall we? First, you're awake AND dressed before I had shoot you. Second, you're very … quiet. Third, you usually wear normal clothes to the studio, not your concert clothes."

That was JUST what Kitazawa needed to hear. Under his breath, he bitched, "Then why the fuck were they at the front of the closet and why can't I find anything else?!" Stalking to K's transport, he stopped dead still and stared at the hulk of steel in front of them, afraid to ask but needing to, "K? Why the hell does the Hummer have a CANNON attached to it?!"

Laughing maniacally, K ruffled Shuichi's hair before shoving the singer into the vehicle next to a tied-up Suguru Fujisaki. "If we're lucky, we'll need to find out today!" Continuing to laugh while praising his baby's capabilities, K peeled off down the street, causing several other cars to swerve out of the way, heading for Hiro's house.

"Forgot the concert wasn't today, huh?" Suguru replied, glancing over Shuichi's outfit. He held up his tied wrists towards the older man, replying, "Tohma's up to something. We'd better be careful."

"No kidding." Kitazawa grunted, deftly untying Suguru's ropes before turning to stare out the window. Ignoring K's driving, the ghostly tutor couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for the disgruntled writer, who had to deal with these nutjobs being around on a daily basis. He debated, not for the first time, allowing Shuichi to take over for the duration of his time at N-G Records. But that would be admitting defeat.

TBC


	23. It’s Not How Much, It’s How Well

Chapter 16 – Honestly, No More Alcohol For You

Disclaimer: Nobody in the Gravitation universe belongs to me. I claim no kinship whatsoever and sing Maki Murakami's praises. The only thing I'm getting out of writing these is sick sadistic pleasure out of making the character's lives even more difficult.

Ghost Monk

By: Zemia

A/N: Since I'm getting confused with the chapters vs my chapters, I've decided to go along with . I originally had "K… Now what?" as 18A and 18B, while had them as 18 and 19. SO…. I've re-organized myself to that system. It's now on mine as 18 and 19, which would make "Wakey Wakey Eggs'n Bakey as Chapter 22, not Chapter 21. Therefore, what I put up now will list as Chapter 23, despite the previous one saying Chapter 21. No, 22 isn't missing, it just didn't get re-edited due to laziness of re-uploads. Chapter 23 follows 21 exactly, in other words.

For anybody who wants to print it out, I don't mind as long as two conditions are met. 1) permission is asked first so that I know who's got a copy running around. 2) Nobody tries to pass it off as their own. I still have my original notebook, with all the edits. I can prove it's mine! It took me YEARS to write this, ask Xedra, she knows. lol.

Xedra - *laughs* I think you're the only one left from all the others that used to read this story. That makes me happy though, that you are. If you weren't keeping count, I think that's the third clock Eiri's broken throughout the story. lol. Yeah, Kitazawa is ... well... Kitazawa. lol. He's got two main reasons for doing what he did, as he'll tell Eiri later.

dbskxsuju - Welcome to the insanity known as Ghost Monk! Where I basically abused Eiri's sensitive-side. mwahaha. Thank you very much for your praise, I'm glad you like it. Unfortunately, Kitazawa will remain around for a good long while. Actually he doesn't leave Shu's body until near the end of the story since, once he does, there's almost no story left to do. I mean, I COULD go on for chapters on a totally PWP week-long sex romp for Eiri and Shu but .... *shrugs*

_**Chapter 23 **_– "_**It's not how much, it's how well you can….."**_

Tatsuha had arrived at the apartment around 9am, but as usual, the novelist hadn't answered the door. Not wanting to sit in front of the door all day, the teenaged monk decided a little breaking-and-entering was in order. Doing a weird shimmy up a column, he reached up and around, until he finally came up with a small key, murmuring, "Aniki, you're so predictable." Letting himself in, Tatsuha pocketed the key to be able to make a copy of, and made himself at home.

Noise. There was noise being made in the house. Muffled though it was by layers of door, pillow and blanket, it still permeated enough to stir the resident blonde bastard. A golden eye slid open, promising death to whoever was causing the offending sounds. Finally lifting his head from the pillow cave he'd buried under, Eiri glanced at the nightstand and stared at the empty spot where the clock had rested. Looking around, he found the corpse of broken springs and cogs lying limply on the floor by the far wall, which sported a nice-sized dent in it. "Fuck."

Running his fingers through his bangs and stroking them to the back of his head, he finally slid from the warm nest of covers. He wiggled his feet into his slippers before shuffling towards the living room, intent on doing bodily harm. Yet he paused at the archway, watching the scene playing out before him with the idea that perhaps he'd finally cracked after all.

Scowl locked firmly on his features, Eiri watched as Tatsuha sipped the last of his beer, booted feet propped up on the coffee table as he stroked himself through the fabric of his jeans while he watched Nittle Grasper's last video "The Reunion Tour". It was only the fact that Tatsuha hadn't been actually jerking himself off that had probably saved his life, sparing him from joining the Shrine on a more 'permanent' basis. "What the fuck are you doing here?" he asked, well ok, demanded.

"Shuichi must've fucked you again last night, I doubt you're getting senile at your tender age. Of course, could finally be a symptom of poisoning yourself slowly with booze, cigarettes and medications." Tatsuha replied, immediately snatching the remote before his brother could. Before Eiri decided to try and see if he could fly (the bastard had chosen the penthouse apartment this time), the young monk pointed to the kitchen. "Made you coffee. You're the one that told me to show up today, remember? It's not me who's having hallucination issues." He paused, several images playing through his mind. "Though some choice ones would be cool."

Ignoring all else, Eiri's foggy brain focused itself on those few words that held any sway over the novelist. _Fucked Shuichi. Booze. Cigarettes._ All good terms, but not it. _Coffee._ The little shithead had made him coffee. Abandoning the remote war temporarily, Eiri immediately shuffled into the kitchen, seeking out the dark brew. He lit a cigarette as he poured, inhaling softly and exhaling it slowly before taking a sip of coffee. The fact that Tatsuha knew how to make it as he preferred was the younger Uesugi's salvation.

Still, something was off about the morning. Morning? He glanced at the clock and waited for the numbers to shift from 9:25am to 9:26am. Yup. Morning. Fuck. Then the caffeine hit and his brain followed his body out of slumber. Shuichi hadn't kissed his ear when he'd left. The only times he didn't were the instances when K had already shot the angsty bitch. He'd have to confront the brat later. For now, he had another brat to deal with so that he could kick him out.

"Haven't seen a ghost since leaving the Shrine. Maybe the Clan of the Bastards turned it off." Eiri finally replied, his voice a rough burr that bordered on bedroom growl. Heading for the couch, he flopped himself down next to his dark clone and put the coffee on the table. "So I don't think …."

Tatsuha's eyes gleamed with malicious humor as he interrupted, finishing his sentence, "…. That you'll wake up with Kitazawa next to you in bed again?"

Eiri's expression caused Tatsuha to curse himself for not bringing a camera. The novelist looked nauseous, pissed off and dejected all at once. Taking a large gulp of coffee again, he kept the rim of the mug against his lips as he muttered, "Guess it couldn't hurt to learn a new skill."

Chuckling softly, Tatsuha clicked 'stop' on the video and turned the television off. "Alright." As he stood, the phone began ringing and he glanced at it before gazing at Eiri. His brother seemed disinclined to get it, so he leaned over and picked up the handset and handed it over to Eiri. "Here. Kami, if it weren't for me, you wouldn't have much of a social life, now would you?"

"Nor as many headaches." Eiri muttered back before pushing the [talk] button. "What do you want?" he growled, not even knowing who was on the other side, nor caring.

Tohma's voice sounded amused as he asked, "Did I wake you up again? I'm so sorry, Eiri-san." His tone was anything but apologetic, even as he continued, "I wanted to know if you needed me to bring anything over for you."

"No. I don't want you over here. Don't you have some singers to pester?" Eiri growled, clearly not in the mood for his brother-in-law's bullshit this early in the morning. You'd think running a highly successful records company would keep Tohma busy and out of his hair. "I'm busy."

"Oh, do tell." Tohma asked, curiosity piqued. "Your deadline finished yesterday, didn't it? Oh, wait, that means you still have another few chapters to finish, don't you?" The malicious sweetness in his tone put Eiri on wary alert.

"Yeah, so shut the fuck up and get off my phone." Eiri went to hang up on him, until he heard the next question.

"By the way, I happened to have lost Tatsuha. Have you seen him anywhere?" Tohma asked, the sweetness thickening in his voice. "I heard he was last seen escaping towards your house, I believe."

Eiri glanced over at Tatsuha, who's eyes had widened and was shaking his head. "No. You lost him, you find him." Then he sighed and hung up on Tohma, tossing the phone onto the coffee table. With the sigh of relief from his younger brother, he glanced at him. "We're even now."

Tohma smiled almost lovingly at his cell phone, listening to it beep as it indicated the end of the call. The teal eyes shifted over to the chair in front of him, his smile growing polite as he murmured, "Get the helicopter ready." Watching K leave his office, the president rose and went to stand by the window, facing the direction of Eiri's new apartment. "What are you two doing over there? Playing without me? How incredibly rude, Eiri-san."

Eiri hadn't even waited for Tatsuha's response before he headed into the kitchen for a new cup of coffee. "So what do I do first?"

"Work on your chi." Tatsuha replied immediately, following Eiri into the kitchen, glancing around for cigarettes. If he could find them, that would be less he'd have to buy for himself.

Eiri glanced over his shoulder at Tatsuha, frowning as he realized that they were now the same height. "You better stop growing, I refuse to let you be taller than I am!" he glowered at the teen, as if by will alone he could cease all growing ability in his brother. "My what?!"

Tatsuha sighed and gave up the search while his brother was being vigilant with him. He rubbed at his face before getting coffee for himself, asking, "You didn't listen to anything father taught you, did you?"

"I paid enough attention to be a full monk, didn't I?! That's enough." Eiri pulled out supplies from the refrigerator and cabinets to begin breakfast, hesitating on single or double servings. "I suppose you're going to want to be fed too, aren't you?"

Tatsuha shrugged and sat himself down at the kitchen table, frowning curiously at Eiri's involuntary glance at the table. "You work me, you feed me. Your chi is what you'll use to get rid of ghosts, the psychic-type of energy."

"Clean the table then. I think Shuichi missed a spot from last night." Eiri directed, nodding his chin to a dishrag while he poured oil into the pan. "Work on my chi. You'd think with me being able to communicate with ghosts, I'd have plenty of chi."

"It's not how much, it's how well you can….." Tatsuha's voice slid to a stop as he realized exactly what it was that Eiri meant. "Ugh, Aniki!" he protested, seeing that the 'spot' was pretty damned close to where his elbow had been a second before. Getting up again, he fetched the dishrag and poured a liberal amount of soap on it, intent on scrubbing the hell out of the surface. "We eat on that table!" he muttered under his breath. It was going to be a VERY long day.

TBC


	24. You Want My Hands Where!

Chapter 16 – Honestly, No More Alcohol For You

Disclaimer: Nobody in the Gravitation universe belongs to me. I claim no kinship whatsoever and sing Maki Murakami's praises. The only thing I'm getting out of writing these is sick sadistic pleasure out of making the character's lives even more difficult.

Ghost Monk

By: Zemia

Xedra - Heh, I put you in my profile too. *chuckles* Well, I can't say that they're not, but I know a bunch of the constant reviewers haven't at all so *shrugs* Hehehe.... this chapter is the continuation of the previous chapter with more Eiri / Tatsuha. And yet another Tohma blip.

dbskxsuju - Thank you very much! hehe.. I doubt I can write a straight angsty scene between these two. Would be a challenge to try. I don't really have time to write, but I've been forcing myself to make some time. If you notice, Before I posted in September 2008, the last update had been August 2007. So the stories were on quite a hiatus.

_**Chapter 24 **_– "_**You Want My Hands ….. Where?!"**_

Twenty minutes later found Tohma situated on the balcony, out of sight from the Uesugi brothers. He had an earbud in place, listening through the audio devices that K had set up in the apartment prior to Eiri moving in. Settling down to listen for the moment, Tohma expected to hear something interesting. It WAS Eiri and Tatsuha after all. There was never enough dirt he could dig up on his brother-in-laws.

The sounds of rustling filtered through, indicating that the earpiece was working properly. _Why are they so quiet?!_ Tohma quelled the urge to look into the room, knowing Eiri hated using curtains and he'd be spotted immediately.

A few moments later, Eiri growled, "This is fucking bullshit!"

"Aniki, you need to do this precisely!" Tatsuha snarled back, his tone reprimanding his older brother for the lack of control. "If you don't, it won't fucking work!"

A muttered curse answered him before another exasperated question came from the novelist. "Why does my hand have to be THERE for it to work!?"

"Because it does! Now stop squirming!" Tatsuha countered, fiddling with something that caused more rustling noises. "This is hard to deal with as it is, since it's so goddamned big!"

Wide-eyed, Tohma couldn't help but lean over slightly to peek into the room and find out where Eiri's hand was being placed that caused him to be so pissed off. The elder Uesugi's right hand was even with his mouth and nose, palm facing left; the other hand faced outward from his body, even with his crotch. He was wearing the traditional monk robes, which Tatsuha was fiddling with and apparently the source of the rustling noises. "Remind me to have another chat in the Shrine when this is all done."

Laughing now, Tatsuha instructed Eiri to turn his hands at a forty-five degree angle, causing onlookers to believe that Eiri was going to cup himself. "Why? They didn't really help you all that much last time, did they?"

Grumbling, Eiri did as he was told, fighting the urge to move his hand in a thoroughly unproductive way, such as hitting Tatsuha. The boy was taking way too much enjoyment from his discomfort. "This had better work. I'm positive that one of the perverted bastards hanging out at the Shrine came up with this. I wouldn't put it past the one that told me he wanted Shuichi when I was there."

"Well, we'll never know until you get around to asking them." Tatsuha said, starting to circle his brother and bringing him around to face the window.

Tohma pulled back away from the window when his younger brother-in-law turned in his direction. The motion caught the dark-haired teen's attention, and he looked over at the window. "What was that?"

"What was what? Probably a bird." Eiri jerked his elbow, catching Tatsuha in the ribs with it while maintaining his hands' positions. "Can we hurry the fuck up so I can get my damned life back?"

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry. Bitchy much?" Tatsuha muttered, finally turning back to his brother and finishing with the robe. "Honestly, how did you get by without learning the exorcism chant?"

"Sat through it and ignored the old geezer." Eiri readily admitted, shrugging briefly before following another of Tatsuha's steps. "I was probably thinking of the chick I'd fucked the night before. How much longer is this!?" Growing increasingly cranky, Eiri was more than ready to call it quits for the day. Only the memory of Kitazawa in his bed spurred him onwards.

Tatsuha corrected one more stance then did the last motion for his brother to follow. "This is the last thing, but you have to practice it over and over until it becomes second nature. If you don't, you'll probably screw up during the real thing and run the risk of NEVER getting rid of the ghost." Smirking at his brother's suddenly queasy expression, he asked with thorough amusement, "Bet you wish you'd paid attention and learned it now, huh Aniki?"

"…….." The scowl written across Eiri's face said it all. Shaking his arms out, he slid back into the first stance. "Bitch hadn't even been worth the time to daydream about." With a sigh, the slender fingers ran through deep bangs, as he asked, "Is this all we do?"

"Well yeah, but now that you have that down ok, we go through the actual chant that goes with the movements. Training, chi and psychic building…." Tatsuha replied, sounding a lot like a teacher instructing an errant pupil. "It takes years of constant practice and dedication to maintain it."

The blonde grumbled since he'd heard those same words from their father just under a week ago_. Was it really only a few days?! Years? Did Tatsuha just say 'years'!? Fuck._ With a sigh, he glanced at Tatsuha over his shoulder, asking softly, "And for me?"

Tatsuha paused in his inspection, one arm crossed over his chest while the other stroked his chin lightly. Staring into Eiri's face for a long moment, he then flashed a wicked smirk at him. "Well Aniki… I suppose you're going to have to play your 'Stubborn Bastard' card for all it's worth and pray that it's enough."

Tohma's eyes widened as he realized what they were discussing, as well as what it meant. Eiri really _was_ seeing ghosts! Or, at least he _thought_ that he was seeing ghosts. Perhaps it was another symptom of the young man's fragile mental condition. If it was, Tohma needed to get is beloved Eiri to the doctors right away for testing and possible treatment. Stepping into the corner of the balcony, he waved his hand and grabbed the rope ladder when it drifted down to him a moment later. Swiftly climbing into the helicopter, he nodded to K and dialed Mika's number, knowing that she would have to be informed. They were going to need information from her father regarding the novelist's time at the Shrine prior to their arrival. "Hello, Mika? Yes, I know, I'm in the helicopter, my apologies. It's about Eiri …."

TBC


	25. Songbird’s Bad Luck

Disclaimer: Nobody in the Gravitation universe belongs to me. I claim no kinship whatsoever and sing Maki Murakami's praises. The only thing I'm getting out of writing these is sick sadistic pleasure out of making the character's lives even more difficult.

Ghost Monk

By: Zemia

A/N: I'm back! I sort of got distracted READING fanfics rather than writing them. Heheh. To make up for it, here's a LONGER chapter for once. *smirks evilly* I am such a wicked, evil little thing.

Xedra - *laughs* I wanted to see if you noticed that it was me who reviewed. Or how long it took. No dear, I'm sorry but I need Tohma alive. If it makes you feel better, I will be playing with his mind a bit more. ^, ^ Especially since Ryuichi and Noriko are going to show up at the party mwahaha. It's been so long since I played with those two. (I've roleplayed gravitation characters in a forums-type RP for years, especially Eiri, Tatsuha, Suguru and Noriko. Apparently I was VERY good at being a bastard *sweatdrops*. Hence all the practice of writing scenes between them. *smirks* they amuse me tho. I had started playing Ryuichi too, but he was more recent so I'm not as familiar. Tohma I have NEVER roleplayed, so the Tohma in Ghost Monk … is my de-virginization of him?) TT, TT I want Xena dvds too. I want Xedra's Joxer! Xedra a goddess at 'geek hottie' hehe. Hey hey! *gets wicked ideas about a drabble of Eiri x Joxer* o,o; that's totally weird but works somehow. Reminds me of Shu lol.

dbskxsuju - *laughs* Yeah. That was hilarious to write, they didn't speak to me for two days. It's really easy for me to write those two as being ... innocently incestuous. They're closer to each other than Eiri is willing to admit, and that amuses Tatsuha who then wants to bug Eiri more.

Lady of Dark - Lol yes, Tohma thinks Eiri's finally snapped. Of course half of him believes that somehow Shuichi made it happen, though by the tapes he'd watched, he knows somewhere deep down that that excuse no longer flies. Poor thing still loves his denial. Thank you!

catbaker - omg a marathon read of this story? You poor dear sitting there that long. Thank you, I'm very happy that you like my story. It's taken three years and a lot of angsty drama in my life, and a year off from writing at all, but I've resolved to finish writing THIS story if none of the others. Heh. Don't fall out of the chair, it hurts. I've done it. I know. *laughs* No, Eiri's fate is to never have peace and quiet, especially with Shuichi around. Yup. While I'm writing it out, working things out, I always call him "KitaShu" so that I know who I'm talking about. As to wrecking the singing... ah that's where the plot takes a new twist.

_**Chapter 25 – "Songbird's Bad Luck"**_

Following the procession of N-G workers into the building, Kitazawa's stomach twisted into knots, knowing all too well that he was entering Tohma Seguchi's personal playground. If he were caught here, he was pretty sure that the outcome was going to be incredibly nasty. Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, Kitazawa glanced over and noticed Hiro giving him a worried frown. Immediately, he offered the guitarist one of Shuichi's most stupid grins, holding two fingers out in V formation. It must have worked, because Hiro offered a smile in return before re-directing his attention to answering one of Suguru's questions. Were these guys so blind, especially Hiro, as to see that something about his so-called 'best friend' isn't acting totally normal? Well… normal for Shuichi's standards? On the other hand, it worked out perfectly for him. The less they questioned, the safer he was.

The elevator ride was completely uneventful, something that the ex-tutor-turned-pop-star was grateful for. Apparently, the gang was used to various dramatics, theatrics and crises at every turn so he was glad when they were able to just step into a corridor and proceed from there. Hiro led the way down the hall, leading them to one of the empty recording studios. "Everything set for today?"

"I've finished the line-up, so we'll just run through them and make sure the vibe stays consistent throughout the concert. If we need to, we can move them around so that they even themselves out better." Suguru said, pulling out a sheet of paper and showing it to his band mates. "Shindou-san, tell me if we need to make any corrections to aid your vocals better."

_Run-through. Line-up. Vocals. Aww, shit. I'm so fucking screwed. _With numb fingers, Kitazawa took the paper and looked it over for a moment before realizing that he had NO idea what he was supposed to do with it. What he'd honestly been hoping for was a day where Shuichi would need to come up with lyrics for new songs. New songs he could bang out for the band with no problem! They need songs, he was a writer, piece of cake! But …. Singing? Suddenly, the realization that he should've possessed Shuichi AFTER the concert smacked him in the head like a Mack truck. He could've waited two more days, but he'd been so impatient that it hadn't occurred to him. Faking it, he smiled brightly at Suguru. "It looks good to me!"

Nodding, Suguru took the paper back and headed into the recording studio with Hiro on his heels. They had a concert in two days, and the N-G party to promote that concert was almost directly after work tonight. They had very little time and couldn't afford to mess around or Tohma would have their heads. Sometimes they weren't sure that it wasn't quite a literal threat. Kitazawa followed them in warily, glancing at all of the equipment and something akin to fear as he stared at the microphone. Quickly getting an idea, he asked, "Hey, we still have any copies of the lyrics around? Just in case I wanna change something for a remix for later?"

Hiro gave Shuichi an odd look but he pointed over to the small table in the corner where they usually put their stuff. "Yeah, I think so. It'd be over there." Before the singer could move, he strode over to him and placed his forehead against his friend's before Kitazawa had time to react. "Hnn. You don't have a fever…."

"H-Hiro! What's wrong with you?!" Kitazawa stammered, backing up immediately and groping for the lyrics. "You're acting really weird, man! You sure you're okay?" Thank god he had paid attention to how Shuichi acted around Hiro, or he'd really be screwed. It galled him to speak like the boy though, his 'inner editor' wanting to correct all of his grammatical errors.

"Are you two going to mess around all day, or are we going to get some work done for a change?" barked their third band-mate from his keyboard.

"Nah. We're cool." Hiro replied, chuckling at Suguru as he looked over at their youngest member. "Eighteen now and you still ruffle like a little wet hen and bark like an old man."

"Shut up and play." Suguru groused, warming up his fingers by running through a few chords.

Pulling the strap of his guitar on, Hiro adjusted its balance and weight, setting it properly against his body. Taking a moment to tune it slightly, he flexed his own fingers on the strings. "Ready to go, Shu?"

Kitazawa had made the most of their distraction by finding the lyrics to the song list and putting them in order. Humming softly, he reassured himself that Shuichi's vocal chords still worked, despite Eiri's attempts to 'deep clean' them at the Shrine. "R-right!" Swallowing thickly, he nodded and listened for his cue, then opened his mouth and started singing.

Five minutes later, Suguru went through his major meltdown of the week. Throwing his papers down on the floor, he yelled, "What the fuck is your problem, Shindou?! Did Yuki-san fuck you stupid again, or is old age fermenting the shit you consider brains?!"

"You have got to stop hanging around Noriko-chan." Hiro put his hand on Suguru's shoulder, wary of his back-swing. The keyboardist had gotten stronger over the past two years. "Calm down, Suguru, he's got…"

"I don't care what he's got! What he's GOT is to get his shit together! Our concert is in two days, and he sounds like a drowning turkey!"

"I…. I know! I know!" Kitazawa cried, tossing his headphones down and giving up. "Just… gimme a minute!" With that, he darted out the door, calling over his shoulder, "Gotta take a shit, be right back!"

"That excuse again?" Hiro asked to nobody in particular, taking his guitar off and putting it down gently before seating himself against the wall. "Think we might as well call out for lunch?" When the only answer he received was a muttered 'should've quit' and some pathetic sobbing from the keyboard, he asked himself, "Or a psychiatrist?"

Kitazawa ran into an empty conference room and locked the door. It was infinitely better than Shuichi's usual men's room idea. Memories from the boy told him how _those_ incidents usually went. It was painfully obvious that he absolutely sucked at singing these songs exactly like Shuichi and he would need to study them before he had a shot at doing better. Unfortunately, he still had to get through _this_ practice session or K might try to shoot him again.

That meant one thing.

Kitazawa would need to give Shuichi back control of his own body. Somehow, he had to find a way to do it so that Shuichi wouldn't give the game away too soon. There was only one real way to do that; threats and blackmail.

Gently, the ex-tutor released the tight grip he had on Shuichi's consciousness, allowing the singer to awaken. Feeling Shuichi fluttering to awareness, though extremely groggy, Kitazawa nudged him once more, calling into his mind, "Shindou, wake up. We have to talk."

"Hnn? Wha?" Shuichi mumbled audibly, swimming closer to being awake, closer to Kitazawa. Apparently, he had control of the vocal chords once more and could now see Kitazawa as if he were standing in front of him. That was only a spectral illusion, though, since Kitazawa remained inside Shuichi's body. It was just easier to speak with the singer if the kid didn't delude himself into believing he'd gone crazy.

"What?! What're you doing here?!" Shuichi demanded before he looked down at his body, automatically cringing. "What the hell did you dress me in!?" There's only one reason to be dressed in concert clothes. "Oh my god, today's the concert isn't it?! How long have you been here?!"

"Since you left the Shrine. Now listen…" Kitazawa's voice whispered through Shuichi's head, though the spectral vision of him moved his lips in time with the words, allowing the illusion that they were conversing.

Once in awhile, Shuichi was definitely quick on the uptake. If Kitazawa had been within him since they left the Shrine, that meant he'd been with him through everything that occurred afterwards. "You mean, even last night…." he asked, feeling sick. Silently, he made an instant vow to himself that he was NOT going to go near his Yuki until Kitazawa was gone. Even if it killed him, even if Yuki took a girl to bed… ok maybe he wouldn't go that far…

Kitazawa's answering grin spoke volumes that even a dense pop-star could understand. "Yes. I've got to admit that you…"

"I don't want to hear it! Give me back my body, you sick fuck!" Shuichi began cursing at him, using every colorful phrase that Eiri had ever taught him as he tried to find a way to toss the spectral ass out of his body. "Why can't you just leave me and Yu…" He paused, realizing that he was going to use THIS man's name to identify his lover with. Switching in mid-rant, he growled, "Leave me'n Eiri alone! Don't you have a barbeque to attend?" The question alluded to what his opinion of where Kitazawa's destination would be. There was a special spot in Hell for pedophiles and rapists after all. However, even Shuichi needed to break from his rants from time to time and he paused to collect his thoughts as well as, well, breathe.

The ghost looked almost bored as he crossed his arms, asking, "Are you quite finished?"

"NO!" Shuichi barked at him, fists clenching as tears welled up in his eyes. It wasn't fair, it just wasn't fair. They had dealt with this last year, it was supposed to have been over. Why did this spectre have to continue plaguing their lives?

"Somehow I doubted it_._" Kitazawa remarked dryly, giving off the feeling of an adult placating a child. He sank himself down into the chair next to him, crossing his legs as he let his arms relax at his sides. "Your body will be returned to you, in due time. However, there's something to be done first."

Ever wary when it came to this particular man, Shuichi gave him a thoroughly suspicious glance, his inner self pulsing dangerously with anger and a small flash of hate as he asked, "What is it?"

Feeling the pulse, the American's lips twitched upwards. It didn't phase him in the least, but he answered Shuichi anyway."Getting through this rehearsal without getting shot."

"What rehearsal?" Shuichi finally paused long enough to take in his surroundings. They were in a conference room in the N-G building. Kitazawa must have brought him here, which meant he was taking over his body enough to control his actions. THAT wasn't a good prospect.

"The one we're technically in the middle of. We're probably giving Fujisaki a breakdown as I placate your spastic ass."

"If we're in the middle of a rehearsal, then why are we in HERE? Why did you let me wake up?" Shuichi asked, before the brain cells he possessed turned themselves on and he answered his own questions. "You fucked it up and now you need ME to bail you out!"

One hazel eye twitched in response to Shindou's bright smile. The kid didn't have to look THAT happy about it. "That…. would be quite astute of you."

"Forget it!" Shuichi crossed his arms stubbornly, glaring at Kitazawa. "You dug your grave and now you can lay in it! If you hadn't taken me over to begin with, then none of this would have happened."

"Need I remind you that if I put you back to sleep, I would only accomplish managing to fuck up the rest of the day's worth of work?" When Shuichi only gave him a look that was something akin to 'So?' he felt the need to elaborate further. "That would cause YOU to be HERE spending all night with a psychotic keyboardist, giving Seguchi ample time to go after Eiri-kun?"

The violet eyes narrowed, never one to deal well to threats. He'd stood up to Tohma and Mika, Kitazawa was nothing in comparison. "……. I could just tell them that you're here."

Kitazawa began laughing softly, the hazel eyes smiling up at Shuichi with an expression more akin to amused pity. They were finally getting to the point where Shuichi could be manipulated into doing as he wanted. "Who would believe you? Who wouldn't think that you were doing it as a cruel joke? Picture it; you run through N-G shouting, 'I'm being possessed by Yuki Kitazawa!!' What would Seguchi do? What would Eiri-kun do?" His voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper, "He's tossed your ass out for a lot less, hasn't he?"

Shuichi couldn't deny any of Kitazawa's words, as much as he would have loved to. He knew that this man had him by the balls, almost literally, and he wasn't sure how to get himself out of the mess that his lover's past had landed him in once again. One thing that he had no doubts over was that he was being used to get to Eiri. His voice lowering to a near-growl, he demanded, "What're you playing at anyway? What do you want from him?" Defiantly, Shuichi bristled, though it only served to make him appear cuter. "I won't let you hurt him!"

"What I've always wanted from him." Kitazawa immediately replied, a slight smile tugging at his lips at Shuichi's bristling. It was adorable, it reminded him of when Eiri-kun had the same reaction towards Tohma when he wouldn't let Eiri go to the park with him. His words gave no reassurance, they weren't meant to.

Feeling a chill from those words, Shuichi's eyes narrowed, "If I tell…"

Starting to grow tired of the theatrics, Kitazawa decided it was time to up the stakes. "I'll make both yours and Eiri's lives miserable. After all, in the end I get to leave while you'd be stuck cleaning up whatever chaos I've created."

"You … you want to hurt Eiri, don't you?" Shuichi hoarsely whispered, the tears in his eyes finally sliding down his cheeks as he glared at his rival in love. "You want to use me to do something to him, don't you?! I won't let you get away with it!"

"What exactly do you think you're going to do to stop me? It's already clear that I've been able to take over your body quite effectively." Kitazawa paused at the singer's question, giving it some serious thought. Finally, he answered it, "No. No, I don't _want_ to hurt Eiri." Before Shuichi could say anything, he added, "But I can't promise that he won't hurt. After all, just hearing my name still bothers him, doesn't it?" Then he chuckled softly, remembering everything that had happened since he'd wished his little student a happy birthday. "You saw how he acted outside the shrine when you got there, didn't you?"

Shuichi's eyes widened and he nearly forgot his anger as his hand came up to point at Kitazawa, asking, "You mean…. When he was yelling at himself, that he was really yelling at …."

"Me. That's right." Kitazawa admitted easily, a grin making its way onto his features. The reactions he'd gotten for that stunt were still funny to him, and he allowed a soft chuckle to emerge.

Shuichi actually shuddered, rubbing his own arm where he'd felt cold, looking thoroughly disgusted and angry that this man was actually laughing about it. "Ugh. You groped me?!"

"No. I just touched your arms a bit." The ex-tutor's grin was thoroughly wicked. "It was enough to piss him off though. It was quite amusing to watch."

"You sick bastard!" Shuichi bitched, wanting Kitazawa out of his body as soon as possible. He felt thoroughly dirty and nasty with the prospect of a pedo-rapist now violating his body. It was worse than his incident with Taki. Hesitating, he wasn't sure if going along with it wouldn't make it go faster than fighting him. "How…. How long would this take, this thing that you're trying to do?" His fist clenched again as he barked out, "What is it that you want to do? I would actually like to keep my relationship if you don't mind!" Despite what he wanted, Kitazawa was around no matter what. Even from the start of their relationship, Shuichi had always screwed himself over in order to protect his lover. This time would be no exception. If it meant protecting Eiri, then he would submit to Kitazawa inhabiting his body for a short period of time. "I don't need him thinking I went along with this willingly! You promise you'll get out of my body once it's done?"

Growing quiet again, Kitazawa took so long in answering that the singer thought he wasn't going to. Finally, he answered, "That depends on Eiri." In the end, that was the only answer that could be given for all of Shuichi's questions. It ALL depended on Eiri.

Frustrated beyond belief, Shuichi demanded, "What the hell does that mean?! You haven't answered anything about what you're going to do!"

"You'll see." Kitazawa replied, knowing he was upsetting Shuichi even more. "It shouldn't be too much longer, is that a better answer? I also promise to make it clear that I …. took you against your will."

"No, it isn't a better answer!" Shuichi shouted, hesitating as he saw a startled janitor dash faster down the hall after his outburst. "Shit." Then his eyes widened at the innuendo that Kitazawa had managed to toss at him. "Don't make it sound like that!"

"Well it's the best you're going to get and, technically, that's what I'm doing."

"Since it seems like I have no choice in the matter, fine!" Shuichi crossed his arms petulantly, growling, "It's just MY body and MY life after all!"

"None whatsoever." Kitazawa paused, recognizing the defiant stance Shuichi was giving him. Decided to play the game of placate-now-backstab-later, did he? One more threat should do the trick. "Unless of course you relish the idea of waking up to find yourself 80 years old in bed with some 80 year old skank and Eiri-kun nowhere to be found."

Shuichi immediately dropped his arms, eyes wide. "You wouldn't!"

Kitazawa's expression was completely serious as he murmured, "Try me. Breathe one word about me being inside of you and it'll be Skanksville for you." The lips twitched upwards again, but this time they held no amusement or warmth. "It'll be fun living your life for you, torturing Eiri-kun in the process as he watches his precious koibito whoring it up throughout Tokyo and the United States. You think that might finally break him? I'm pretty sure I could manage it."

Muttering curses under his breath, Shuichi knew he was beaten for the moment. He couldn't stop Kitazawa, but he _could_ minimize the damage that the ghost caused. Stomping towards the door, he growled, "Let's get this rehearsal over with and see what kind of psychological damage you've caused to yet another person." He hoped Fujisaki was alright. Kitazawa was a hard person to deal with.

Now that he'd gotten what he wanted from Shuichi, Kitazawa's image vanished and in Shuichi's mind he all but purred, "Of course, Shindou-san."

Shuichi stepped back into the recording studio, looking thoroughly pissed off, which startled Hiro and Suguru. Hiro immediately reached for Shuichi, but decided not to after seeing the expression on his face. Lowering his arm, he asked, "Shu… are you okay?"

"Let's just get this over with." Shuichi murmured quietly, going to stand at his microphone. The tear tracks had been hastily wiped away, leaving slight smudges across his cheeks, but he paid them no mind. A hard glint in his eyes, he looked at his band mates, nodding firmly which brooked no arguments. "Ready?"

The guitarist looked over at Suguru, who had pulled himself up from under his keyboard to stare at Shuichi warily. Something was definitely different, and wrong. But neither of them could put their finger on it and they had to get through rehearsal. K would be there any moment and, if they weren't putting in one-hundred percent, then there was going to be hell to pay. "Ready," they both chorused, each on their respective instruments. They could always ask him later.

On cue, they started the song over again, Hiro and Suguru running through the intro instrumentals. Shuichi then began to sing, his voice was firm and clear as he put all of himself into his art. Now aware of his inner uninvited guest, Shuichi could feel Kitazawa following along, learning the rhythm and tempo. It pissed him off even more, made him want to curl up in Eiri's lap and have the older man take it all away. To make it all better.

The bastard had said that Eiri was the one that had to do it anyway. But… then again, if he told Eiri what was going on, Kitazawa would make Eiri miserable and cause the novelist's world to fall apart. Again. That meant that Eiri had to figure out what was happening on his own, while Shuichi kept quiet and played along like a little puppet. Shit. Eiri was going to KILL him!

Fortunately, this inner struggle never appeared outwardly as he continued to sing song after song, giving Hiro and Suguru one of his best performances. It was the least he could do, considering the shit that 'he' was going to pull on them in the near future.

TBC


	26. Seguchi Moment

Disclaimer: Nobody in the Gravitation universe belongs to me. I claim no kinship whatsoever and sing Maki Murakami's praises. The only thing I'm getting out of writing these is sick sadistic pleasure out of making the character's lives even more difficult.

Ghost Monk

By: Zemia

A/N: "I had lost my notebook that had the next stuff written for Ghost Monk! Then when I found it… I realized it was Tohma/Mika and Shuichi/Kitazawa and …. ran into a wall of Writer's Block. I think it was a subconscious attempt to not think about it. Ah well. Yes, this chapter is somewhat shorter, but it's one of three chapters I'm in the process of typing up which I hope to have finished by the end of the weekend."

Xedra - lol. I don't even want to think about a Gravitation/Xena crossover. If you looked at my profile you'd see WAY too many stories unfinished as it is. I hope to go through them one by one and finish them up, since they're being brats about sharing time in my head chapter by chapter. *laughs* Yes, Kitazawa is manipulating Shu, but now Shu knows he's being manipulated, which gives him some room working at being a brat.

catbaker - Mwahaah. Yes, Shuichi has to do all of that. And I'M the lucky one that has to make that all work and have the story remain coherent. That's not as easy as it sounds with this crew. Ryu will show up during the N-G Party that I'll eventually get to. Evenetually. Kitazawa has his reasons for doing what he's doing. But I'm not telling.

Angel hacker - Well, depending on how Shuichi reacts will determine how often he gets to be 'awake' lol. In Gravitation, they're ALL brats.

dbskxsuju - No worries. He will. Shu's also stronger than he usually appears to be, remember.

Tsubasa no Ryu - Um, not sure who Soma and Sylv are, but .... Shuichi's not all that bad, you just have to get used to the drama. lol. I'm actually more used to playing Eiri, so once in awhile being Shu is kinda fun. Kita's not 'evil' he's just 'greatly misunderstood' and 'weak against his desires'. Many a man can claim the same.

_**Chapter 26 – "Seguchi Moment"**_

"Well, what do you think?" Tohma asked, moving from the window to sit in his chair behind the desk. Leaning back in it, he took a moment to study his wife's features. Despite how they may behave towards each other in public, during their private moments each were allowed to drop all of their masks and just be themselves. That's how their relationship had survived for so long, through so much and all of the craziness around them. "The tapes are pretty horrific. I wished every day that Eiri-kun would never have to go through something like that again. Unfortunately, it seems as if he is."

"I think I'm surprised that he'd only had that one bottle." Mika replied, sighing as she rubbed her eyes. "I think it's time to sit down and get him to talk to the shrink. Even if the ghosts are real, she might be able to let him deal with it."

"Mmm. I have to agree with you. She might do him some good." Tohma replied, sitting back up in his chair. "I think I can get him there without too much trouble." He reached into the drawer next to him, pulling something out.

"How? He'd get suspicious of you in a shot." Mika asked, crossing her arms in annoyance. Her brother really was a pain in the ass at the best of times.

Tohma smiled slightly as he held up the two jars of pills that he'd apparently taken from Eiri's house. It seemed that the supply that they'd brought him at Kyoto were due to have run out even as they spoke. That meant that his brother-in-law would have no choice but to go to the hospital to get himself a refill. Even if they weren't the same medication that he'd been taking two years ago, he still had a prescription for anxiety and stress which kept him calm.

The female Uesugi stared at the little bottles in shock for a moment before her eyes lifted to meet her husband's. An answering smile made its way to her features. "I'm sorry for doubting you, Tohma."

"Now, while I'm busy with Eiri, I would like you to do a little favor for me in return." Tohma murmured, putting the pills in his pocket.

A favor. Favors were never asked lightly. Whatever the sneaky bastard was up to couldn't be good. "What do you want this time?" Mika asked suspiciously.

"I need you to speak with Shindou-san." Tohma replied immediately, his tones even and smooth, knowing he was risking a long-shot. His smile turned pleasant as he continued, "While managing to refrain from doing bodily harm, of course. I do need him intact for a concert soon."

'WHAT?!" came the immediate screech before Mika managed to suppress herself, growling softly under her breath. That smile didn't have the same affect on her that it did for everyone else, but even she knew to be wary of it. "You want me to get within ten feet of him and not…."

"I know you're still mad at him, but technically it wasn't his fault…. this time." Tohma got up and went around the desk, placing a hand on her shoulder in placation, trying to mollify her. "He couldn't have known that Eiri was at the house. Even I thought Eiri would be on his way to Hokkaido for the book signing."

"Tohma, the baby almost wound up with pneumonia from being out in the cold for so long. Even wrapped in Shindou's jacket…"

"Something which he selflessly gave up, risking freezing to death himself, to prevent that pneumonia." Tohma murmured, leaning down closer to Mika, lowering his voice as his fingers went from her shoulder to stroke down her hair. "I'm still not always happy with him being around, especially Eiri, but he did what he could and sought help as fast as he could. That counts for something."

"He's still a fucking idiot."

"Maybe so. But he's your brother's idiot, whether we like it or not." Tohma bent his knees a bit, so that he could stare into her down-turned eyes. "For Eiri. For me."

Mika felt her walls crumble as she listened to his soft request and she turned her head to stare out the window instead of him. After a long moment, she murmured, "Fine. You owe me, Seguchi."

Tohma's answering smile reached even his eyes as he stepped back a pace to give her personal space back. "I never doubted that for a second."

With a sigh, Mika rose from the chair and felt her masks slide back into place. Heading for the door, she flipped her long-brown hair over her shoulder. "I'll go find him. Keep your cell phone handy."

"Of course, Mika-san." Tohma replied, amusement laced in his voice. When she was gone, he lifted his coat off of its rack, pulling it over himself in an elegant shrug. Doffing his hat, he headed out the door as well for his own 'date'. He should be there in plenty of time to watch some of the fun.

TBC


	27. Smile Shuichi! You're on KTV!

Disclaimer: Nobody in the Gravitation universe belongs to me. I claim no kinship whatsoever and sing Maki Murakami's praises. The only thing I'm getting out of writing these is sick sadistic pleasure out of making the character's lives even more difficult.

Ghost Monk

By: Zemia

A/N: Look. A longer chapter! Told you I had worked on it. ^, ^

Xedra - ^,^ Hi Xedra. hehe. Yes. I have found my notebook. It had the entire layout for the story, as well as the chapters I'm working on typing up. Four composition notebook pages worth of "Summary" would have been lost forever! TT, TT. I found it though! Soon as Ghost Monk is done, I'll work on one of the other stories to try and get those finished too. *noddies*

Too bad Tohma rules the Gravi world and I'd die before getting to that helicopter push. Thems scary ways he gets what he wants. lol. Shuichi still annoys him, but he's getting used to his little moneymaker.

_**Chapter 27 – "Smile Shuichi! You're on K-TV"**_

Mika stalked through the halls of N-G, a scowl etching her features and causing several employees to scatter before her. No one wanted to catch the attention of an angry Mika Seguchi. Waiting for the elevator, the female Uesugi tapped a perfectly manicured nail on the button's faceplate in a disjointed rhythm. The longer it took, the longer she had to manage to calm herself down. She prayed that Shuichi would refrain from his usual theatrics.

Finally finding the band holed up with K in Conference Room B, Mika strode in without bothering to knock. Everyone turned to look towards her, various expressions flitting across their features. K and Suguru shared amusement mixed with a look akin to 'What does she want now?' while Hiro showed both concern and confusion. It was Shuichi's reaction, however, that held her interest.

Shuichi had raised his head to glance at the door opening, recognizing their interruption instantly. A brief moment of panic was quickly followed by stubborn pride mixed with an almost arrogant scorn which no doubt came from a certain unwanted visitor. A hint of gold ringed the amethyst of his eyes for a moment, happening so fast that Mika wasn't sure what she'd seen.

Frowning slightly, Mika nonetheless stepped forward and snagged the bubblegum brat from his chair, dragging his protesting form towards the door. "I'm borrowing this thing. I'll return it shortly."

"What?! NO! I didn't do anything this time! Where are you taking me?!" Shuichi protested as he disappeared from view. In the back of his head, he could feel Kitazawa stirring again, suggesting that he be the one to deal with Mika. Terrified of fucking something up, Shuichi allowed the asshole only partial control. The American HAD dealt with both Uesugi and Seguchi clans longer than he, after all.

"So much for a productive day," Suguru muttered, fiddling with some of his papers before shoving them into his school case. "Just when Shindou-san was finally being productive, too." He refrained from mentioning the 'gargling seagull' incident.

Hiro listened with half an ear while he tried to follow what was happening with his best friend. He knew Suguru was right about Shuichi's work all day and he wasn't particularly sure that he liked it. THIS Shuichi only showed up when Eiri'd promised the singer something good, or when Shuichi 'gave up' on the relationship. He turned to K, who had a distant expression, the one he got when he was usually up to something. Nervous, he asked, "K….."

K's eyes snapped into focus at the sound of his name and he offered Hiro an almost warm smile. "Already on it, Nakano." He wouldn't tell them all that had been happening, since knowing wouldn't do any good, but they could see this part of it at least. His smile growing into maniac proportions, he turned on the television, flipping briefly through the various channels.

Suguru's attention caught on some of the channels and he glanced at K, not bothering to doubt whether or not even the bathrooms of N-G were rigged with cameras. "If I catch any tape of me in the bathroom…."

"Ah hah hah hah! You always did worry too much for someone your age, Fujisaki!" K replied, patting the keyboardist on the shoulder. "You really need to learn how to lighten up!" Pausing in his flipping, it seemed as if he'd found what he was looking for. On the screen, Mika and Shuichi had holed themselves away in another Conference room, though it sported no long table, rather a series of leather chairs as well as a leather couch. Shuichi had seated himself in one chair while Mika had taken another. Shuichi looked remarkably calm considering he'd just been dragged off by, as well as being alone with, Mika. "Ah hah. There you are. Let's see what the two little birds are up to, shall we?" Making another adjustment, the blonde American managed to turn the audio on as well. "There we go." Putting the controller down, he leaned back in his seat, prepared to enjoy the show.

Hiro stared at the screen for long enough that he exhaled abruptly, having forgotten to breathe. If K had cameras all over the building, then K probably had a tape stashed somewhere of him and …… Licking suddenly dry lips, he asked his band mate in a quiet voice, "Did YOU know about all of these cameras?" He didn't even want to know how they'd all been hooked up to their little television. Then he began to remember all of the times when something had been going on in the building and K had been on the scene within a few minutes of the occurring event, barging into the middle of it. It usually managed to cause more chaos in the process.

"I had a vague suspicion…." Suguru offered in return, keeping his eyes on the television. He wasn't going to reveal more than that, not with K anywhere in earshot anyway. On the monitor, it appeared that Shuichi had gotten over his silence and was beginning to speak to Mika.

"Vague…." Hiro mumbled warily, eyeing Suguru for a moment before being shushed so that they could hear. He would corner the keyboardist alone later and get more out of him.

In the modified conference room, the pink-haired young man had squirmed and fidgeted throughout the first few minutes that he was trapped in the room with Mika. At first, she had paced around the room, practically snarling, and it scared the hell out of him, especially since she'd never forgiven him for almost turning her son into a Popsicle. Now she'd seated herself opposite him and composed herself while studying the young man across form her. That didn't help his nerves any.

Taking a deep breath, Mika decided the best course of action. Her father had told her that Eiri had come racing back speaking of ghosts and ancestors. Soon after that, Shuichi had shown up at the Shrine, having been told by Tatsuha to show up, apparently an attempt to calm Eiri down or for more video fodder, she wasn't sure which. So that meant that Shuichi had been with her brother almost the entire visit home, as well as them being together since the pair had stranded her and Tohma. Best just be blunt about it, since it seemed that it was usually the best approach with the kid, he sucked at subtle. "What's been going on with Eiri?" she asked without preamble. "You've been handing around him like a leech for days, even worse than normal, and he hasn't tossed your ass despite his deadline. So what's wrong with him?"

Shuichi blinked a few times before panic set in. If he told on Eiri, his life would be made a living hell, but if he didn't tell, Mika would make his life painful too. He was damned either way. Using the opportunity to take over, Kitazawa gave Mika a slight smile and shrugged. "He always acts up around deadlines, plus he also missed his medication. I'm sure that had something to do with it."

Though it was a good answer, it wasn't a SHINDOU answer. Mika eyed him again, noting the subtle changes in the way he sat, as well as the slight shifts in mannerisms. "Are YOU feeling alright, Shindou?" she asked, now realizing that they were both acting odd. "You're not bouncy or demanding that there's nothing wrong with my brother and that I should lay off."

SHIT! Kitazawa had forgotten how perceptive this woman was. Of course she'd have to be with her father and brothers being monks and at least one brother able to see ghosts. Combined with the fact that she was married to Tohma only made her even more dangerous, since she would have to be perceptive in their dealings with others. "I'm just tired, Mika-san. We have the concert in a couple of days and K's been working us hard."

"Good. You should be earning the money Tohma gives you." Mika tossed back before trying to put her finger on what was bothering her about Shuichi's behavior. "What's going on, Shindou? You were pushed a few days ago too, you still didn't manage to act like a sane person."

Kitazawa wasn't sure how he should respond to get her off of his tail. Fortunately, Shuichi managed to bail them out, seeing as he'd been living around THIS Mika for a few years now. He gave her a chuckle, rubbing the back of his head, managing to look boyishly-cute. "C'mon Mika-san. When's the last time me'n Yuki have had matching deadlines? You remember the chaos it caused last time? With my concert and his book, it's just getting a little dramatic around here, that's all. Once those are over, it'll be ok. You'll see." Then he flashed a self-mocking smirk, showing how grown up he had gotten. "When has it NOT been crazy around me during concerts?"

That did it. Something was definitely up with Shuichi. Mika stared at him, unable to deny that the dumb-assed brat had grown and matured over the past two years. It was something akin to 'adapt or perish' that had caused the slow changes, as well as the gradual stability of his relationship with her brother. The better they got, the calmer Shindou had become. However … this was downright creepy. She would have to regroup with Tohma and catch the kid again during the party. "I suppose you're right." Mika finally conceded, knowing when to give up for the moment. "Finish up for the day and get ready for the party tonight. You'd BETTER be dressed appropriately."

"Hai, Mika-san." Breathing an inward sigh of relief, Shuichi made it to the door in record time. He was getting while the getting was good. But he paused when he heard his name called and looked over his shoulder at her. "Yes?"

"Also, don't forget to do your laundry when you get home. Obviously it must be piled up if you came to work in THAT!" By 'that' she pointed to the state of his attire.

"Heh…. Heh heh…. Hai, Mika-san." Shuichi laughed nervously and left, chuckling even more at the grumpy mutter of 'whore clothes' in his head. "If you're embarrassed, it's your own fault. If you hadn't taken me over, it wouldn't have happened. I don't mind wearing this outfit, even if it DOES get me pounced by Ryu-chan more often." Then he flashed a grin at another surly mutter, almost chirping, "No, I'm NOT telling you where my normal clothes are."

The gang in their conference room quickly shut the television off since Shuichi was heading back towards them. Hiro and Suguru weren't too sure that Shuichi was, indeed, fine. Hiro's eyes reflected his worry as he murmured, "He wasn't like that when I dropped him off at the shrine."

"You left him alone with all of the Uesugi clan AND Tohma?!" Suguru demanded, clutching the zippered sections of Hiro's jacket as if it were his only hold on sanity. "Are you crazy?!"

"No way I was going to stay there and it wasn't like Shuichi was going to leave immediately after seeing loverboy was fine." Hiro countered, trying to nudge his bandmate off of his jacket.

K stole their attention by taking the tape from the television and heading for the door. "You guys can get finished up and get ready for the party tonight. Don't be late or I WILL pick you up again!"  
"NO!" Suguru shouted, releasing Hiro to hold his hands out in a placating gesture towards his manager.

Hiro's entreaty was a moment later, "We'll be there, don't worry about a thing, K!"

Flashing a grin that did nothing to reassure them, K headed down the corridor, passing Shuichi on his way by. Patting the boy's shoulder, he gave his singer a firm, "Don't be late!" before turning the corner.

Confused, Shuichi watched K leave before making his way to his band. "What's the matter with K? Why'd he leave all of a sudden?"

"He wanted us to be at our best for the party tonight." Hiro supplied easily enough, gathering his things. "He let us out early."

"We have to be at our best tonight, remember, since a lot of top execs will be there to support N-G." Suguru said, packing as fast as he could. "I'm going to take advantage of this time off and take a nap. Since I'm Tohma's cousin, I'm usually one of the last to leave. You'd think at eighteen, they'd realize I could get myself home by now."

"I don't know whether to call you 'old man' or 'pampered prince' now." Hiro joked, ignoring the glare he received in return. "Ready to go, Shu?"

"Yeah. I could use a break too." Shuichi murmured, shoving the lyrics into his backpack before making his way back to the door. "Meet you tonight, okay?" Waiting only for a nod from the two, he took off for the elevators, intending on heading home to get changed. After that, he'd head for the park. No sense giving Eiri more reason to be suspicious, but he couldn't go to the park dressed like this. It was painfully obvious that Mika already was, which meant it was only a matter of time before Tohma came after him too.

TBC


	28. Chapter 28

The next chapter has been written and will be sent via email to those of you who want to continue reading Ghost Monk as well as any other stories I'm working on.

I apologize for the very long delay, the only excuse I could possibly make was that real life got in the way and for a long time my muses had left me under the daily drudgery of chores and work.

So, if you'd like to receive the next chapters, please pm me an email addy to send it to.  
Thank you everyone for enjoying my story and big thank you to those who waited so patiently.

~Zemia


End file.
